


Flightless Crow

by lineaelina



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Insecurity, Light Angst, M/M, Self-Doubt, Team as Family, What-If
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-31
Updated: 2016-04-02
Packaged: 2018-04-29 05:58:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 24,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5117957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lineaelina/pseuds/lineaelina
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Takeda told the third years to think whether they should continue playing volleyball or not Sugawara made a different decision. The team had a new star setter and a spirit that could take them anywhere. He wasn't needed anymore.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So sorry for the cliched title! I know it might be a little ooc for Suga to decide not to continue volleyball but I wanted to write it anyway. I want him to play in every game now and always. Daisuga is my otp so that is where this fic will head as well. But mainly I just want everyone to comfort very insecure Koushi. Also this story is unbetad and english is not my first languge (or even second) so there might be several mistakes in the story!

Sugawara Koushi walked hurriedly through the corridors of Karasuno High School. He ignored someone calling his name, and sped up, hoping he could outrun the thoughts running wildly in his head. Everyone had felt defeated yesterday but today was another tale. Kageyama and Hinata's frustrations would erupt, shaking the team out of their haze. It would unite them under a new level of battle spirit. A level high enough to take the team anywhere, even to nationals. And Kageyama’s skill and Hinata’s enthusiasm were easy to adopt. It might take few days or maybe weeks, but the team was going to come back stronger than ever.

Finally he reached the right door: Ittetsu Takeda. Sugawara took several calming breaths to make himself stop shaking before he knocked on the door. After a few seconds he was called in. Suga opened the door and looked into the messy office.

“I’m sorry to disturb you Takeda-sensei, but do you have a moment?” he asked.

“Of course, please come in and have a seat”, Takeda said and gestured towards the chair opposite him, “what do you have in mind? We would have seen each other in few minutes anyway.”

“I’m not coming to the practise” Suga said and finally he had all of Takeda’s attention. If they didn’t count a week in January when Sugawara had been ill, the setter had never missed a practise and even then Daichi had to bribe and threaten Suga so he would stay at home.

“Is something wrong. Are you feeling well?” Takeda asked immediately. There was concern in his voice as he observed his student closely. The third year setter tended to carry a lot on his shoulders and Takeda wanted to help if there was something wrong. Suga seemed to notice the concern in Takeda’s features and he hurried to reassure his teacher.

“Nothing is wrong, I promise. It’s just that…” The setter took a deep breath as he tried to organize his thoughts, “You asked us to think this through and I have decided not to continue volleyball.”

Sugawara’s voice was steady and calm and Takeda found himself staring at the silver haired third year. Indeed, he had told the third years to consider carefully but he never thought any of them would take his words seriously. He had said it because it was his duty as a teacher – not because he thought one of them would leave. Especially Sugawara, the one player they really couldn’t afford to lose. When Takeda couldn’t find words Sugawara continued, “I already told Daichi and he promised to tell the team. I just wanted to tell you personally.”

“I – I appreciate it. We’ll be sad to see you go.” Takeda finally managed to say but the words felt wrong. He offered his hand, which Suga took, and while they were shaking hands, Sugawara smiled slightly, “You don’t really need me there now that you have Kageyama. And there is no time to be sad either; nationals are waiting.”

The smile on Suga’s face looked fake and hollow and Takeda’s eyes widened when he saw the tears forming in Suga’s eyes. The boy himself noticed them too and hastily excused himself. The setter – no, the former setter – turned around and rushed out of Takeda’s office. Through his tears Sugawara could hear Takeda call his name but he didn’t stop. He rushed around a few corners until he came to the corridor with bathrooms. He walked into boy’s bathroom and locked the door behind himself. When he was sure he was safe, Suga leaned against the wall and slid to the floor. He folded his knees and wrapped his arms around them. He leaned his head into his arms and let the tears fall.

_“What’s wrong?” Daichi asked, his brown eyes wide but his expression stern. It was the look Suga always received when he tried to hide something from his captain. Suga sighed. He felt like he needed to tell Daichi but at the same time he didn’t want to._

_“Nothing is wrong.”_

_“Suga, tell me.”_

_“I’m going to quit volleyball.” Suga said, looking down when he couldn’t meet Daichi’s eyes. There was a long silence but Suga could hear Daichi’s breathing had gotten shakier. When Suga looked up again, it seemed like Daichi either hadn’t heard, didn’t understand or didn’t want to process the new information. The captain was shaking and after a moment he stuttered out a short, “What?”_

_“Takeda asked us to consider and I have considered. I’m not going to continue anymore. Yes we lost, but only barely. When the team pulls themselves together, you and the kids are going to do so well and I’m not needed anymore.”_

_“That’s not true at all!” Daichi argued immediately, “we would have lost a lot earlier if it wasn’t for you.”_

_Suga shook his head and opened his mouth to speak but Daichi silenced him._

_“I know it might sometimes feel like we don't need you, but we really do. Please, give this a second thought. Please.” Daichi’s voice was shaky and pleading. Sugawara couldn’t remember when he had last heard that tone. Maybe when Daichi had pleaded with Noya to rejoin the team. It felt like it had only been yesterday._

_“I already have. Playing with you made me realise that I don’t want to sit on the sidelines anymore. Kageyama has already replaced me and the town’s amateur team asked me if I was interested in playing with them. It’s not Karasuno but with them I would finally be able to play again.” Suga said and while Daichi wanted Suga to be happy he didn’t want him to leave the team._

_“A setter can be replaced, yes, but no one can replace you, Koushi.” Daichi said. Then he sighed, knowing he couldn’t get through to Suga when he was feeling this insecure. He pulled Suga into his arms and held him tight, “I’m thankful that you told me, but I want you to reconsider this. Take some time to yourself and give it another thought. I know you don't believe me when I say we need you, but we will do everything it takes to keep you on the team."_

After his tears dried out and his breathing calmed down, Suga looked at his phone The practise had started and Daichi would tell the team soon. Sugawara felt a pang of guilt for not telling the team himself. He really wanted to but he wasn’t sure he could do it without breaking down. He had already broken down in front of Takeda, he couldn’t do it in front of the entire team. He dropped the phone into his bag and tapped his reddened face with a cold cloth. Then he exited the bathroom and walked out of the school.

Suga entered his house in a daze, causing his mother fuss around him in concern. After she was sure Suga was not ill, she released the boy and let him withdraw into his room. Suga dropped onto his bed and pulled the covers over himself. When he looked at his phone he saw several missed calls, thirteen text messages and seven voice mails. As he was looking at the screen, it notified him about an incoming call - Nishinoya. Suga didn’t want to answer but he didn’t have a heart to decline either. Instead of answering his phone Suga set it on the table and waited until it finished ringing. After the call ended his phone informed him of eight voice mails.

The tears were back again and Suga decided he wasn’t strong enough to hear the team’s goodbye’s right now. He opened the back cover of his phone and pulled the battery out. Then he placed the three pieces on his nightstand and rolled over on his bed. He curled up into a ball and pulled a pillow against him. The tears soaked his pillow and his the hair in his face. 

He had done what he thought was the best for the team but it didn’t make it hurt any less.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your lovely comments! I hope I can keep this interesting and you will enjoy the upcoming chapters as well! I will post 2nd and 3rd chapter today! This chapter is about Daichi and the team and the next one will be about Suga again! :)

The sand under Daichi’s shoes rustled loudly as he walked towards the gym but the closer he got, the heavier his steps felt. This morning Suga had told him he wasn’t going to continue playing volleyball with them. Although, Suga doubting himself and pondering about quitting was not a new situation, as Suga had felt insecure several times during the past, especially after Kageyama joined the team and Suga had been benched. Yet, every time in the past, either Daichi managed to calm Suga down and or Suga found the motivation to work in the background.

It wasn’t going to be that easy this time.

Daichi knew the game against Aobajousai had done two things to Sugawara. One, being able to play again made Suga miss the feeling of actually being on the court and two, while the loss had caused his insecurities to wake up again. It was a dangerous combination and it made perfect sense that Suga would say yes when offered the chance to play. Suga knew that the best way to get over insecurities was to play and work on them. Here at Karasuno, Suga had to watch their first year stars without being able to play with them. On the amateur team he would have a chance to get over the loss by actually playing the game. Daichi knew simply being asked to play was important to Suga, so he wasn't angry at the setter for saying yes.

What he was angry about was how easily Suga had decided Karasuno didn’t need him or didn’t want him.

Still, Daichi couldn’t help but wish that Suga hadn’t meant his decision was quite as final as he’d let Daichi think. Daichi hoped that together with the team he could convince the setter to change his mind. 

With a sigh Daichi walked into the gym and noticed how everyone was there, already practising almost like they had forgotten the devastating loss. Daichi felt his stomach knotting when he realised he would have to break this spirit and suddenly he was a little angry at his friend. Or maybe at himself for not being able to change Suga’s mind. 

Asahi and Kiyoko noticed Daichi had arrived and they both greeted him with a smile.

“Daichi, what is it?” Asahi asked immediately. Noticing something was wrong with his friend, his smile vanished.

“Could you all gather around here?!” He shouted to the team. A volleyball Hinata had spiked hit the side of Tsukishima’s head but neither of them payed any attention to it. Nishinoya was wrestling with Tanaka but their voices quieted down as well when they heard the tone of Daichi’s voice. The team gathered around Daichi and sat down on the floor. Ukai and Takeda walked closer as well. Daichi noticed Takeda’s expression to Suga must have told him already.Although, Coach Ukai didn’t seem like he knew and for a moment Daichi wished he hadn’t promised Suga he would deliver the news to the team.

“What’s going on?” Nishinoya asked when Daichi didn’t say anything.

“You probably noticed Suga isn’t here.” Daichi said. He didn’t really know how to go on with this but he supposed this was the best way to start.

“Is Suga-san alright? He seemed tired earlier today! Is he sick - OW!” Hinata said before yelping and rubbing the side of his head where Kageyama had slapped him. Hinata threw a murderous glance towards Kageyama and Tsukishima turned to cuss at the two. Daichi knew he had to tell them before Kageyama and Hinata got into a fight because after that happened it would take hours to calm them down. Ukai had to whistle to get everyone quiet again. Daichi looked at Takeda and silently begged for help. Takeda gave a nod and stood up.

“Sugawara has informed us he is not going to continue playing volleyball on Karasuno team.” Takeda said and Daichi could see it was not easy for him to say either.

The entire team started to talk over each other.

The panicked chorus of questions like “why would he do that”, “what are we going to do now” and “is it because of the game” got mixed up with words like “he can’t”, “we have to make him stay” and “we need him”. Daichi was overwhelmed by all the questions and he wished Suga was here to hear this. How much everyone wanted him to stay. Nishinoya was practically radiating displeasure and Daichi made a mental note to make sure the libero didn’t walk out like he had with Asahi. Hinata looked lost and Kageyama was looking at the floor - Daichi was sure he felt guilty. Tanaka had gotten angry and Yamaguchi was talking to Tsukishima quietly. Coach Ukai was staring at Takeda like he couldn’t believe what the faculty advisor had just said.

“Why – why would he decide to quit?” Hinata asked and his voice was trembling. Kiyoko – who was sitting closest to Hinata – put her arm around the small boy. Daichi looked at Kiyoko with gratitude before answering, “He was asked to play on the town’s amateur team. They need him and Suga wants to play.”

“But we need him too!” Tanaka said loudly at the same time Nishinoya said Suga could have his position.

“No, he is too tall to be a libero, he can replace me!” Tanaka said.

“He would be a great libero!” Nishinoya insisted.

“Shut up you two and let the captain finish!” Tsukishima snapped and the two quieted down again.

Daichi closed his eyes. He suddenly felt exhausted.

“I know some of you want to go over to Suga’s and talk to him but the best thing we can do now is let him be alone for a moment and think things through. Not being able to play has been hard on him but I know there is still part of him that wants to stay here with us. We have to trust him to make the right decision. Until then, we just have to keep going like we have before,” Daichi said calmly, “Asahi will be an acting vice captain until we are sure about Suga’s decision.”

“But what if he thinks the right decision is to leave?” Hinata asked, still sounding miserable.

“If he feels leaving is the right thing to do then we should support his decision - but only after we make sure he knows we want him to stay.” Daichi answered and the rest of the team nodded in unison. Daichi nodded as well and continued to speak, “Everyone go back to the practise! I know we all feel upset right now but it’s best to continue working and let Suga come back to a team that has high goals and a good spirit!”

It appeared no one really listened to Daichi’s encouraging words. The practise felt long and no one was really in the mood to play. Even Hinata and Kageyama lacked their enthusiasm and coach Ukai told them all to leave early. The sky had already darkened and Daichi wondered if he should try to call Suga, but he decided not to. After all, he had promised to give Suga some time to himself. Still, he felt a need to make sure the other boy was alright. The wind was getting stronger and Daichi wrapped his coat tighter around him. As Daichi reached his house he decided to send Suga a text after he had eaten something.

Daichi walked down the pathway that lead to their front door. “Hi Mamoru,” he said to the dog sleeping on the porch. Daichi kneeled down to pet him. His father must have gotten home early because otherwise he would have had Mamoru with him at work. The dog – who was enjoying the cool and calm night – barely acknowledged Daichi’s presence. Daichi huffed and stood up again. He opened the door and shouted, “Hey, I’m home!”

“Hey darling, food is on the stove!” Came the voice of his mother from upstairs. Daichi dropped his bag to the floor and walked into the kitchen where his father was already filling a plate with food for him. The man greeted his son and offered the plate to Daichi before talking, “Did something happen at the practise? Nishinoya-kun called you few minutes ago and sounded rather agitated.”

Daichi put the plate into the microwave and sighed, leaning against the kitchen counter. Mr Sawamura looked at his son with concern as he waited for the boy to organize his thoughts, “Suga is planning to quit volleyball. He said he has already decided, but I want to believe I still have a chance to change his mind. I told the team today and everyone was upset about losing him.”

“Is it because of your recent loss or is there something bigger behind it?” Daichi’s dad asked just as his wife walked into the kitchen. Daichi’s mother had heard the conversation and her eyes were wide and compassionate. She knew Daichi cared about Sugawara a lot. Daichi looked at his parents and rubbed his tired neck muscles, “I think it’s a little bit of both. Suga has insecurities when it comes to volleyball and losing to Aobajousai didn’t really help.”

“But I’m sure he will come around after he has had time to think it through,” Daichi’s father said and Daichi nodded, “That’s what I’m hoping as well.”

“Just remember you can’t force anyone to change their mind without hurting them”, Daichi’s mother said and pressed a kiss onto her son’s cheek, “Even if Suga-chan decides to leave volleyball it doesn’t mean he is leaving you. Don’t push him away.”

“I won’t. And I’m not going to force him to do anything, I want him to be happy,” Daichi said and his parents gave him an accepting nod.

Daichi smiled slightly as he took the plate out of the microwave. He told his parents he was going to eat in his room and the two nodded. Daichi excused himself, leaving his parents to chat in the kitchen. Mamoru passed Daichi on the stairs and when Daichi entered his room the dog was laying on his bed. Daichi rolled his eyes at the dog and sat behind his desk. He put the plate down and was about to push the fork into his mouth when his phone beeped to signal a new text message.

 _Walk to school with me tomorrow?_ said the message that had come from Suga.

Daichi smiled at the words and quickly wrote an answer to tell Suga he would meet him in the morning. Daichi put his phone away and wondered why a simple thing such as walking to school together was making him feel so light headed and happy. It wasn’t a secret that he liked Suga but it seemed like the possibility of losing him made Daichi realise he liked the other boy a lot more than he had previously thought. Mamoru was staring at Daichi knowingly.

“Oh, shut up”, Daichi told the dog, “we’re only going to walk to school together.”

The dog huffed and Daichi turned to his food again. He had walked to school with Suga hundreds of times but for some reason it felt different this time. There was a chance that they weren’t going to be teammates anymore and Daichi wanted to make sure they were still something if Suga chose to leave the Karasuno team.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this chapter! Please leave a comment! :) ♥


	3. Chapter 3

When Sugawara woke up again there was a weight on top of his lower waist that Suga didn’t recognize. Too light to be Daichi, he thought and blushed. Since when did he think that way about the captain? Suga blinked his eyes few times to clear his head and noticed how hot he felt. He had crawled under the covers still clothed and now his skin felt hot and clammy with sweat. The weight on top of him poked him hard in the side. Suga’s eyes shot open again and he focused them on the shape sitting on top of him. When he recognized the person he turned to look at his phone that was on the corner of his table. Instead of being in three pieces like he left it, the phone had been put back together.

Suga should have known no one ignored Nishinoya Yuu.

“How did you get in?” he asked and tried to push himself into a better position.

“Your mom let me,” Nishinoya said and folded his arms. “What is this nonsense about you leaving?”

Straight to the point, it would seem. Noya was still wearing his uniform top with black Karasuno sweatpants and it looked like he had run here straight from practice. He must have left in a hurry because there was no way coach Ukai or Daichi would have let him leave half dressed. Then Suga noticed he was shivering and his protective instincts kicked in immediately. He tried to move but the small libero didn’t let him.

“You need to get out of the uniform and put on something warm. I have a hoodie you can borrow. It will be big on you but it’lll warm you up.” Suga said. Noya still didn’t move but the grumpy pout on his face broke a little. There was a small moment when the libero looked lost but soon the determined expression was back, “See, this is why we need you on the team. You can’t leave.”

Sugawara shook his head. He asked Noya to let him up but stubbornly the younger boy told him ‘no’. Suga sighed and then apologized before pushing Noya off. The small libero let out a squeal as he fell against the soft mattress of Suga’s bed. Suga lifted himself up and walked to his closet, searching for a shirt Nishinoya could wear. From the behind the closet, Suga found his old Karasuno hoodie that was now too small for him. He walked back to Noya and offered it to him. Noya took the hoodie from him but didn’t make a move to put it on.

“Don’t tell me I need to dress you.” Sugawara said and there was odd fondness in his voice.

“If I put it on will you change your mind?” Nishinoya asked, knowing it was a weak attempt to blackmail Sugawara.

“I’m not going to change my mind. But if you put it on, you won’t get sick and then you’ll get to see Kiyoko-san tomorrow as well,” Suga said with a small smirk. Nishinoya narrowed his eyes. Well played, he thought. Still, keeping Suga on the team was currently more important than Kiyoko-san. But the small libero had to admit he was feeling cold so he put on the hoodie Suga   
offered him and immediately the thick fabric started to warm him up.

“Daichi said the amateur team offered you a position as a setter. We are a much better team than them!” Nishinoya said when he was finished dressing.

“But with them I get to play”, Suga said softly, “their setter broke his arm in a bike collision, so they need me. And I miss playing, I really do.”

“But we need you too! And you get to play with us! You saved us in the last game!” Nishinoya argued immediately, folding his arms again.

“Noya, I have already decided. I want to stay with you guys but… But they asked me to play and I really want to help them out as well. I’m going to their practise on Thursday to see how it will go.”

“Well you will have to come and clean your locker at some point and when you do, Ryu and I will tie you to the club room radiator. Try leaving then.” Nishinoya said and pushed himself off the bed. He walked to the door and even though he moved like he was leaving Suga knew they were far from finished. Noya wouldn’t give up so easily. Still, Nishinoya’s grumpy threat had brought a smile to Sugawara’s face and the older boy was glad the libero always had a way to make everyone smile and always managed to make hard situations easier. As the libero passed Suga, he suddenly wrapped his arms around the former setter. Suga was rather surprised by the gesture but wrapped his arms around Nishinoya, nevertheless.

“You will change your mind, I know it,” Noya muttered, “I’m going to tell the amateur team you are the worst player ever. Then you will have to come back to us.”

“It’s an amateur team, Noya, everyone is bad.” Sugawara said, but still laughed at his friend’s unsubtle determination.

Noya sighed and pulled himself away from Suga. He walked to the door and went to open the zipper of the hoodie. Suga hurried to stop him and told him to keep the hoodie. It was way too small for him and he didn’t want Noya to get cold on his way home. Nishinoya turned to look at Suga again and this time he looked more serious.

“Daichi told us not to come,” he said softly, “he told us to give you time to yourself but he’s going to fight for you and he isn’t going to let you go, you know that, right?”

Sugawara looked at Nishinoya, his eyes wide. Noya could hide his personality under his excited and carefree nature but really he was very observant. Only recently had Suga started to understand his own feelings towards Daichi and had started thinking maybe the captain felt something more towards him as well. Had Nishinoya realised it before Suga himself had? But no matter what Noya thought, Suga knew Daichi would do anything to make Suga happy. Then he frowned. Just like Suga would always do anything to make Daichi happy.

Nishinoya grinned, like he had come to the same conclusion, “This is not over yet, Suga-san. I’ll see you at school tomorrow!”

Noya was laughing as he danced down the stairs and Suga could hear the cheerful goodbyes he said to Suga’s mother. Apparently Nishinoya thought he had won. Suga chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck before his eyes noticed the phone Noya had put back together. With a shaking hands he took it and switched it open. The number of text messages had increased by few but when Suga browsed through them he noticed most of them were from Nishinoya. One of them was from Asahi and another from Daichi. Asahi’s message warned Suga about Nishinoya. One of the missed calls was from coach Ukai, but Suga thought it was too late to call him back now. He could visit the shop on Thursday after his practise with the other team. Sugawara frowned when he noticed he had referred the amateur team as ‘the other team’ and not ‘his team’.

While he was browsing through his messages his phone vibrated again, indicating another message had arrived. Suga pressed the button to open it and was greeted by a message from Nishinoya that said: _I don’t really think you are the worst player ever, I’m sorry I said it even if it was a joke. You are great! See you tomorrow! Don’t leave us!_

Suga chuckled at the libero and quickly wrote an answer to reassure the other boy he hadn’t taken his words too seriously. He told Noya to get home safely and put his phone away again. He still wasn’t sure if he had done the right thing, but the decision had been made and it couldn’t be changed anymore. Still, Nishinoya had somehow made him feel lighter. Suga smiled to himself before picking up the phone again. He quickly sent Daichi a message to ask if they could walk to school together tomorrow. When Daichi answered positively Suga smiled slightly and dropped back onto his bed. When his mom popped in to ask if he really was alright he didn’t completely lie when he told her he was going to be fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sugawara and Nishinoya are my precious babies! ♥ 
> 
> I hope you liked this chapter! Please leave a comment! :) ♥


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A new chapter! I'm sorry it took me a while, work has been so hectic. I'll try to post the next one in few days! :)

Suga was petting Mamoru when Daichi walked out of the house next morning. The dog was laying on the grass and Suga was kneeling down by him. Mamoru licked Suga’s hand before sprinting to greet Daichi. Daichi patted the dog’s head as well before joining Suga. Daichi eyed Suga from head to toe to find something wrong with him, but he couldn’t see anything too different. Suga looked stressed and a little tired, but it was understandable considering the situation. Suga blushed slightly under Daichi’s gaze and the other boy quickly apologized for staring.

“How are you doing?” Daichi asked after they had walked for few minutes, hoping Suga wouldn’t lie to him.

“I’m alright. Noya visited me last night,” Suga answered. Daichi groaned, “I told them to give you space. I’m so sorry, I’ll deal with it.”

“No no, there is nothing to deal with. It’s alright. I was quite upset last night and he made me feel better,” Suga said. Daichi looked at Suga and there was something in his expression that Suga couldn’t quite understand. It felt like jealousy but Suga wasn’t sure why Daichi would feel jealous of Noya, so he let it pass. He was probably imagining things.

“You should have called me if you felt upset,” Daichi said after a moment.

“I didn’t want you to worry about me. And I wasn’t really that upset, it was more of an exhaustion. Yesterday was quite a difficult day for me and even though I’m sure about my decision, it was still hard to tell you and Takeda-sensei about it. And then I worried how the team reacted and how much pressure I put on your shoulders,” Suga explained and closed his eyes to organize his thoughts, “But I feel better now. It feels a lot less scary to go to meet the team tonight.”

“So Nishinoya couldn’t make you change your mind?” Daichi asked and for a moment he felt hopeless. If Noya couldn’t do it, then no one could.

“No, but he threatened to tie me to the club room radiator”, Suga said and Daichi smiled, “Yea, he and Tanaka were planning that yesterday at practice. They asked me if I could borrow handcuffs from my father. I promised to check,” Daichi said and Suga chuckled.

“I’ll have to keep away from the club room then,” Suga said and Daichi felt his heart swell at the happiness in Suga’s voice. They walked a few minutes and Suga felt like he was smiling like an idiot. Then he looked at Daichi again, “I wanted to thank you for being so supportive. I don’t know if I could’ve handled you trying to talk me out of it as well. Especially today when I’m meeting the team and am already freaking out.”

“You are welcome,” Daichi said and smiled softly. 

Suga and Daichi reached the school just when the bell rang and they had to run to reach their class in time. Asahi called out greetings from his own classroom and Daichi and Suga answered him before slipping into their own classroom. Suga walked to his seat by the window and Daichi took his a few rows back. 

On days like this Daichi was happy he sat behind Suga because he could spy on the other boy in peace. As the lessons went by and the afternoon got closer, Daichi could see how Suga got more and more tense. Daichi knew Suga was feeling nervous about meeting the other team and while Daichi wasn’t happy about Suga going to meet them, he still wanted to make the other boy feel better. And it didn’t help that Suga needed to go to the club room and pick up his volleyball things because the younger team members like Hinata and Kageyama and Nishinoya would probably be there already as their days were shorter. Daichi made a mental note to walk to the gym with Suga so he could tell the others off.

Thankfully when the school finally ended and they made their way to the gym, the only ones in there were Tanaka, Nishinoya and Yamaguchi. Tsukishima was sitting on the step outside and talking into his phone. Nishinoya had only managed to open his mouth when Daichi silenced him with a glare. Suga greeted the three younger students before walking to his locker. Daichi stayed behind to make sure that Nishinoya and Tanaka wouldn't be able to make Suga more nervous than he already was.

“We will miss you, Suga-san,” said Yamaguchi, who Daichi had let into the locker room, apparently thinking he was harmless compared to the other two.

Suga turned to smile at Yamaguchi, “I will miss you too.”

“I hope the amateur team is nice. My cousin plays there occasionally and I heard their setter had an injury. He was thrilled to have you. It sounds like they really need you,” Yamaguchi said and Suga was glad to hear honesty in Yamaguchi’s voice. Well of course he would. Yamaguchi is not one to lie or play games.

“Thank you, I hope everything goes well,” Suga said and smiled.

“I would still prefer for you to stay. Everything is a lot calmer when you are around. Even the captain,” Yamaguchi said and Suga felt his face heat up. He hoped the blush wasn’t too noticeable. Daichi walked into the locker room like he heard what Yamaguchi had said. Instead of reacting to the blush on Suga’s face he checked out his watch.

“You should go before you’re late,” Daichi said gently, “and before I really let Nishinoya and Tanaka tie you to the radiator.”

“That would never happen,” Suga said and shook his head. Yamaguchi chuckled as well before walking out of the locker room and back into the gym. Suga finished packing his things and lifted his bag from the bench. They followed Yamaguchi out of the locker room and Daichi walked Suga to the door.

“I hope you have a great night,” Daichi said and tried hard to sound convincing.

Someone else didn’t even bother to try because when Suga walked to the door he could hear Nishinoya yell, “I hope your night sucks” after him. Sugawara smiled and shook his head at Nishinoya and Tanaka and laughed quietly when he heard Yamaguchi scold the two. Something Sugawara would have done if he was still… 

Daichi – who had walked outside with Suga – frowned when he saw the sudden sadness in Suga’s eyes. Suga shook his head, wordlessly trying to tell Daichi that it was fine. This had been his own choice. Daichi seemed to decide to let it go and instead asked, “Are you nervous?”

Suga was glad that Daichi could read him so well and welcomed the subject change, “Yes, I can’t understand why I feel this nervous.”

“It will be fine, they’ll love you almost as much as we do,” Daichi said and squeezed Suga’s arm, “Call or text me to tell how it went.”

“I will,” Suga promised and his fingers itched to hold Daichi’s hand. As soon as volleyball was in order Suga had to do something about his feelings for Daichi. Daichi – who had no idea of the thoughts inside Suga’s mind – nodded and they exchanged short byes before Suga started to walk away. 

After walking ten metres, Suga turned around and noticed Daichi was still looking after him. The captain had crossed his arms and and smiled encouragingly when his eyes met Suga’s own. He smiled encouragingly when his eyes met Suga’s own. Suga waved his hand and Daichi waved back. Suga could feel the blush on his face deepen and he was glad that he had to walk around the corner so he was hidden from the stare he could still sense. When Suga was sure Daichi couldn’t see him, he leaned against the cool wall and took few calming breaths. He could hear the volleyballs hitting the floor inside the gym and he could heard Daichi and Nishinoya’s voices and suddenly he felt unsure.

It was like he was standing at the crossroads – as clichéd as it sounded – and suddenly he wasn’t sure about the road he was about to take. Sure the other would give him a chance to actually play the sport he loved with a team that needed him, but the other would give him a chance to be on the same team as Daichi and see the team they had built from scratch fight their way to the top. For a moment Suga felt like he wanted to go back to the gym and get ready for practice.

Then the insecure voice in his mind reminded him that nothing had really changed.

The town’s team still needed his help while Karasuno had Kageyama and Hinata and a whole row of great players. Suga let out a long breath before picking his bag up again.

Daichi was right, he would be late soon and he didn’t want to be late on his first day on the new team.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it! I promise it will get interesting soon! Please leave a comment! :) ♥♥♥


	5. Chapter 5

Even though Sugawara had thought he would be late he managed to walk to the sports centre in record time. The doors to the gym were open, but there was no one inside. Suga looked around. The gym was slightly bigger than the one they had at school. It had small and narrow windows close the ceiling and there was an indoor balcony that covered the whole left side. There were seats for spectators and a digital scoreboard on the opposite side of the balcony. All in all the gym looked nice and modern. Suga was startled when he heard steps from the hallway and suddenly he wasn’t sure if he was allowed to be inside the gym. Before he had a chance to escape though, he was met by a smiling man that didn’t look much older than coach Ukai.

“Ah, Sugawara-kun. I’m coach Yamamoto, we spoke on the phone,” the man said. He had black hair and was quite short, but muscular. They exchanged a greeting before coach Yamamoto spoke again, “You are a real saviour, I was really getting desperate after we lost our setter.”

“I’m happy to help,” Suga said shyly.

“Ah, you are so modest,” coach Yamamoto said and gestured Suga to follow him, “Come with me and I will show you the locker room. I told the rest of the team to come by a little bit later than usual so I have time to tell you everything you might need to know before we start playing. But we will get to that later tonight, don’t you worry, I won’t bore you with my monologue for too long.”

Sugawara tried to keep up with everything the man explained to him. The training schedule was a lot lighter than Suga had had in Karasuno and it was more flexible as well. There were few bigger tournaments during the year but one of them had already passed. The team accepted players from all age groups excluding small children as they had their own clubs. The fact that high school students also had their own clubs was left unsaid. Suga changed his clothes and when coach Yamamoto finally finished talking, the other members of the team had already arrived at the gym.

It was surprisingly easy for Suga to find the correct way to play with the new team. His tosses always found a spiker and his team won the first set easily. The team was very touchy-feely with each other and there were lots of back pats, arm squeezes and even hugs. By the end of the practice Sugawara felt like correcting that they could call him Suga instead of his whole name but then he started to hesitate. He loved his new team, but he wasn't sure if he was ready to hear them call him by the name everyone at Karasuno had adopted. Suga banished the sudden feeling of longing and decided to concentrate on playing. After all the nervousness passed, Sugawara started to really enjoy playing.

"Nice work, Sugawara-san!" He hadn't heard those words in a long time and it sounded so good to his insecure ears. He felt like smiling and the way he was grinning probably looked stupid to the other players, but Sugawara didn't care. It felt easy and light to play without any pressure.  
Suga's euphoria was broken by coach Yamamoto who suddenly exclaimed, "Excuse me, smoking is not allowed inside the building!"

Everyone in the team turned to look at the direction coach Yamamoto was looking at but whoever had been smoking had already vanished. Sugawara frowned. He had a fairly good idea who the person had been but wondered why the man felt the need to hide in the shadows.

Outside of the gym Ukai Keishin lit up his cigarette again and leaned against the cool stone wall of the sports centre. He felt stupid hiding and running away like that, but he didn't want the other team - and Sugawara - to find out he was spying on them. It felt bad to admit that Sugawara had looked freer with the other team than he seemed to be with Karasuno team. Even though he hadn't looked as motivated, his movements had been more relaxed and he looked happier. Keishin supposed it was because Sugawara could finally play without having to live in constant knowledge that a first year had replaced him on the team.

Sugawara himself had told Keishin to make the decision that he felt was better for the team. And the coach had done just so. But maybe he had failed to understand how insecure Sugawara really was under his strong and caring shell. Maybe he had failed to let Sugawara know how much he still valued his presence on the team.

Sugawara was not an excellent player, but he was still good, and way better than many of the players on the amateur team. He had great technical knowledge, he knew what kind of technique worked with different players. More often than not the young Karasuno coach had noticed himself depending on that knowledge and he envied how calm Sugawara was when he tried to teach the tactics to a pair like Kageyama and Hinata. Keishin was not ready to let him go just yet.

"What are you doing in here?" Came a voice from behind Keishin. The Karasuno coach let out an embarrassingly loud yelp and the cigarette he was holding in his hand burnt his finger. Keishin spun around while shaking the finger to stop it from stinging. When he recovered from the surprise, he was met by the questioning yet smug eyes of Yamamoto Seishiro, coach of the amateur volleyball team and old friend of Keishin. Former friend, Keishin corrected inside his mind. Without answering Keishin lit up another cigarette to replace the one he had dropped.

"You didn't use to smoke like this,” Yamamoto said, "only when you were nervous or upset."

"I have a reason to be; you stole my vice-captain," Keishin said with narrowed eyes. His old friend was someone that he now considered to be an enemy.

"I did not steal Sugawara-kun,” Yamamoto said with a smirk, "I asked him to help us out after our setter's accident. He wanted to help us out and I want to help him as well. He deserves to have a chance to play."

"Sugawara is too kind to say no, but we are not going to let you keep him. He belongs with us," the Karasuno coach said and folded his arms.

"With a team that forces him to sit on the sidelines? I don’t think so,” Yamamoto said and his voice got louder, "With us he has a chance to play; he is not going to come back."

"Sugawara doesn't play for merit, but there are still goals that he is aiming for. He is upset that we lost and it comes out as insecurity and self-doubt. You used his vulnerability to get him to play with you. I admit I should have noticed he was feeling this terrible but there is no way in hell I'm going to let you have him. Like I said, he belongs with us. And after he has had time to recover from the loss we suffered he will see it too. The team and I are going to fight to keep him." Keishin said with finality.

“Keishin, I just want to give him a chance to play,” Yamamoto said with a sugary voice that made Keishin feel like he wanted to shake the other man, “There is no need to take this so personally.”

Keishin opened his mouth to answer but instead of doing so he turned around to walk away from the sports centre. The practice was almost over and Keishin didn't want Sugawara to find him arguing with Yamamoto. Keishin walked to his car and sat behind the wheel before lighting up yet another cigarette. He sat in the shadows and saw the team leave the sports centre. The night had already gone dark and he wondered if he should offer Sugawara a lift. It would be late before the boy got ome. Sugawara walked out of the gym and he looked tired but happy. Keishin let out a sigh that sounded more like a growl. He couldn’t quite believe that Sugawara was the only setter in the area who could replace the amateur team’s injured setter. Especially since the amateur team had players come and go around the year. Somehow it started to feel like maybe there was something personal in Yamamoto’s need to have Sugawara on his team after all. If there was, Keishin would make sure Sugawara - or no one else from his team - would get caught in the crossfire. He tossed the cigarette out the window and with a newfound determination he drove off. He had some detective work to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No one messes with Keishin's crows! Thank you for reading! I hope you liked this chapter, please leave a comment!! The next one will be up on Friday or Saturday! :) Also here is a small spoiler for that next chapter! ;)
> 
>   _"Will you go out with me?" Daichi blurted out._  
>  _Suga continued to tidy up and answered absent mindedly: "Well we were on our way to..."_  
>  _"No I mean out out. Like a date. Will you go? Out. With me. To a date." Daichi said and cursed his inability to create proper sentences._
> 
> Oh btw you can come to say hi on tumblr! You will find me from lovelydaisuga.tumblr.com ! :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me so long to post this!!

“Suga! Thank you for waiting!” Daichi said as he ran towards Suga.

Sugawara was waiting for him at the school’s bus stop and smiled when he saw the taller boy getting nearer. It was clear the taller boy was coming from the afternoon practice. His hair was tousled, there was a flush on his face and he was a little out of breath. Suga blushed when he thought about the same look in different circumstances. He shook his head slightly to banish the mental image.

“Are you ready to go?” Suga asked.

“Yes,” Daichi answered, “how are you? I’m sorry I didn’t have time to join you for lunch.”

Right before lunch break Michimiya-san had insisted Daichi and her should check out the practice schedules and Suga had been left alone with Asahi for lunch. They had separate afternoon lessons on Friday so they hadn’t really had a chance to catch up earlier. When Suga started to talk it was a mixture of talking about his day at school and talking about yesterday’s practice with the amateur team. Suga wasn’t sure if Daichi wanted to hear about the details of his practice but Suga wanted to talk to someone. He had gotten home so late last night that they hadn’t really had a chance to talk then and his parents had been on their way to bed so Suga hadn’t been able to talk to them either. Daichi listened Sugawara in silence.

“Is it okay if I talk about my practice with the others?” Sugawara asked after a moment, suddenly sounding unsure.

“As long as you remember that we are not letting you go that easily,” Daichi said.

“Yeah yeah, you’ve said that many times but I haven’t seen any action yet,” Suga said but there was a grin on his face, “I’m not that easy.”

Daichi tried to look into Suga’s eyes and figure out if he was truly feeling as light as he let Daichi think. It was true they had said that a lot but no one dared to add to Suga’s stress. Daichi couldn’t see a hint of dishonesty in Suga’s eyes, so he let himself smile. If he was honest with himself, he thought he saw flirt on Suga’s beautiful features but he didn’t dare to hope. His mind must be playing tricks on him. Suga put his hand into his pocket and fished for his keys. He opened the door and yelled out a greeting to what seemed to be an empty house. Daichi followed Suga into the kitchen and shook his head when Suga dropped all his things to the floor, creating a trail from the front door to the kitchen. Daichi picked up everything Suga dropped and neatly set them on a kitchen chair.

“Do you want to eat something before homework?” Suga asked and opened the fridge.

“Uh, no, thank you,” Daichi answered and picked up his bag.

Like he hadn’t heard any of what Daichi had just said, Suga pushed an apple into his hands before leading him to his room. Suga gestured towards his desk and Daichi took a seat.

“How come you don’t have any homework?” Daichi asked.

“I did them all while I was waiting for you to finish practice,” Suga answered.

“Oh, should I go…?”

“No!” Suga yelped. Then he collected himself, took a deep breath and continued, “Of course not. I can tidy up and tell you the answers you don’t know.”

Daichi huffed. He had just witnessed how much Suga cared about tidiness and he was sure he would be the one to finish Suga’s work later. Still, Suga started to walk around his room and tidy up while waiting for Daichi to finish his homework. Every now and then he leaned over Daichi’s shoulder to help him and every time he did Daichi felt hot. Suga picked up a hoodie and his school uniform jacket and folded them neatly before placing them on the shelf of his wardrobe. For a moment Daichi concentrated on his homework but Suga's humming distracted him. Daichi set the pen back on the table and closed his school book. From the corner of his eye he saw how Suga was laughing at something that probably happened inside his head. He looked so beautiful and Daichi knew he could never let go of Suga.

"Do you think we should..." Suga started.

"Will you go out with me?" Daichi blurted out, interrupting Suga's sentence.

Suga continued to tidy up and answered absentmindedly, "Well we were on our way to -"

"No I mean out out. Like a date. Will you go? Out. With me," Daichi said and cursed his inability to create proper sentences.

Suga suddenly stopped and Daichi felt his face warm up under Suga's wide eyed stare. Then - after the true meaning of Daichi's question sunk in - Suga started to smile. His soft brown eyes lit up and he looked so beautiful Daichi had difficulties breathing properly. There was a blush on Suga's face as well but he looked happy as he took a step towards Daichi. Then a frown replaced the smile and Suga suddenly stopped, "Wait, you’re not asking me out to keep me on the team, are you?"

Daichi's eyes widened when he realised what his actions must have seemed like, especially after telling Suga he was going to do everything to keep him on the team. He scrambled forwards to capture Suga's hand again, not wanting his own stupidity and Suga's insecurities to ruin the moment. Suga still looked unsure and Daichi knew he had to wipe that look off of his face.

"NO! No, of course not, Suga. You know I wouldn't," he rushed to say, taking Suga's other hand as well and holding them in his own, "I.. I..."

"You..?" Suga asked.

He sounded like he was expecting Daichi to finish his sentence but there was a hint of amusement on the silver haired boy's face. Daichi felt some of the panic lessen and thanked every god he could think of that Suga was so easygoing and forgiving. Daichi stood up from the chair and moved to sit on Suga’s bed. He squeezed Suga's hands a little tighter and pulled the other boy next to him. Suga sat down next to him and instinctively Daichi cuddled closer to Suga.

"I... I mean you... You telling me you were going to leave the team made me realise that I have always taken you for granted. We have been friends forever and we have always been together so I stupidly thought you were always going to be there. I never really thought to ask you out before because I never thought there was going to be a time we would be separated like this. I'm not asking you out to keep you on the team. I'm asking you out because... because I really like you a lot and I want to be with you. It has nothing to do with volleyball. I want to take you out, pamper you, take care of you and support you in everything you do and I want to love you. Of course I want you to stay at Karasuno, but in the end I want you to be happy. And I want to be happy with you."

"You want a lot, captain," Suga said and Daichi couldn't understand how his title sounded so dirty coming from Suga's mouth. At least now Suga's tone was teasing and Daichi's eyes widened when Suga leaned closer to kiss him. It wasn't much of a kiss because Daichi was too shocked to respond and Suga was laughing against Daichi's lips but it was still perfect. Before Daichi had time to react, Suga pulled back and two pairs of brown eyes met each other.

"Just so you know, I want you to be happy as well,” Suga said softly, letting his fingers run through the short hair behind Daichi's ear, "And I want to be happy with you too. And going out with you would make me very happy."

Daichi pulled Suga close and wrapped his arms around the shorter boy. He inhaled the familiar scent and immediately felt calmer. Even if Suga decided to leave the team and join the amateur one, Daichi started to feel reassured that he was not really going to lose him. It would take him time to get used to Suga's absence if he decided to leave, but now Daichi started to feel like Suga wasn't really going anywhere.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohhh we are getting somewhere! Thanks for reading, I hope you still like it! :) ♥♥♥


	7. Chapter 7

Sugawara had another practice with his new team on late Sunday afternoon and this time Daichi was the one to wait by the gate until they were finished. Daichi tensed a little when he saw the players leave the sports centre. They might be Suga’s new team mates but to Daichi they were rivals. And not good rivals like Kuroo and the whole Nekoma team. Suga was amongst the last ones to exit the building and the setter’s eyes widened when he noticed Daichi. Then the surprise changed into genuine happiness and the frown was replaced by a wide smile. Suga practically danced towards Daichi and Daichi laughed at him.

“You should have told me you were coming,” Suga said, his tone slightly scolding, “I would have showered faster. Or you could have come indoors to wait!”

“I wanted to surprise you and I only just got here,” Daichi assured the other.

“Thank you for coming,” Suga said and they began to walk, “I’m actually glad you came. My parents are gone until tomorrow and I don’t want to be alone.”

“Oh, so we have the house to ourselves,” Daichi said and gave a mental wink when he couldn’t make himself actually do it. Suga seemed to understand his thoughts because he grinned, “Get your mind out of the gutter, captain.”

“You have to stop calling me that,” Daichi complained half-heartedly, “one day hearing the word “captain” will give me inappropriate thoughts at totally wrong time.”

“You will have to learn to live with it,” Suga chirped and lead Daichi to the bus stop.

The bus ride to home didn’t take long and Suga lead them into the empty house. Suga’s cat greeted them but she hissed immediately when he’s noticed Daichi. Daichi rolled his eyes at the cat who decided it would be better to hide behind the bookshelf. Suga walked to the fridge and smiled when he noticed the amount of containers his mother had left before she had left the house. All of the containers were filled with food and the only thing Suga needed to do was put it on a plate and heat it. He took out two plates and prepared a meal for both of them. Daichi happily accepted the plate and they ate while chatting about Suga’s practice and Daichi’s English essay. A while later, they moved to sit on the living room couch and Suga stretched his arms. Daichi looked at Suga from the corner of his eye. The other boy looked happier and more serene than he had lately and Daichi hoped the loss against Aobajousai wasn’t haunting Suga anymore.

“How are you feeling?” Daichi asked.

“I feel better, I think. I feel more confident and relaxed and playing is fun again. I don’t constantly doubt myself anymore,” Suga said, smiling softly, “but I do miss you guys and I miss the spirit the team has.”

“Then come back,” Daichi said before he could stop himself. Then he decided that the damage was already done so he might as well keep going. “We all miss you. It’s not same without you. Kageyama and Hinata are arguing non-stop and it’s not good arguing. Asahi is not exactly the best vice-captain and we can’t practice properly because we don’t have another setter. Kinoshita plays as a setter for the B-team but he’s not good at it and Kageyama is not a very good teacher. We need you.”

“Daichi, please…” Sugawara said and Daichi felt guilty when the calm expression on Suga’s face turned into insecure concern again. It had taken a long time for Suga to get rid of it and Daichi managed to return it with just few sentences. But Suga had just admitted he missed Karasuno and Daichi knew he had to use this chance.

“You said you miss us and we miss you too. Please come back; it’s not same without you,” Daichi insisted, “and you’re just practicing right now too, you aren’t really playing.”

“Daichi stop! Just… stop!” Suga said, burying his head in his hand and Daichi knew he had gone too far when Suga started shaking. He flailed for a moment, not sure if Suga would welcome his touch, but in the end, the need to comfort the other became too strong. He put his hand on Suga’s back and felt his heart squeeze when the other boy flinched and completely tensed under his touch. He ached to wrap his arms around Suga but didn’t dare to.

“Hey, I’m sorry, I…” Daichi started but a small voice that sounded nothing like Suga interrupted him, “You should go.”

Daichi felt panic spread through him and he put his hand on Suga’s shoulder before pulling it back when he remembered Suga wasn’t welcoming his touch right now. He cursed himself with every insulting word he knew. He should have left the matter be after asking Suga to stay for the first time. Suga had said he felt less insecure and now Daichi had caused all those insecurities to flood back again. He hadn’t meant to belittle Suga’s current position or team. He had only wanted to say that with Karasuno there were actual big tournaments coming up.

“Suga please, I can’t leave like this,” Daichi said pleadingly.

“I’m fine, just please go,” The same small voice answered and Daichi had never felt as torn as he did right now. He wanted to stay and comfort Suga. He wanted to make sure Suga knew he loved him and he wanted to make sure Suga still loved him too. But he also wanted to respect Suga’s wish to be left alone. Finally the concern towards the silver haired boy won and Daichi inched a little bit closer.

“Is it okay if I stay until you are a little calmer?” Daichi asked, “I don’t want to leave you alone like this.”

For a moment Daichi feared that Suga would deny him. Instead of doing that Suga nodded slightly and Daichi let out a sigh of relief. Suga’s body relaxed slightly and Daichi pulled him against his side. He didn’t trap Suga into an embrace but held him close nevertheless. Suga was shaking and shivering and Daichi knew he was trying to fight off tears. With his other hand, Daichi captured Suga’s other hand and held it carefully in his own.

“Listen…” Daichi started and held on when Suga made a move to pull away. “No, you have to hear this. I promise I will go after this if you want me to.”

“Okay,” Suga said and Daichi tightened his hold, not to keep Suga there but to let him know Daichi was there.

“I’m so sorry for what I said earlier sounded like. I never meant to imply you are not good enough to play or that you are wasting your time with them or anything like that. I just wanted to say that… with us you will have a chance to play at big games. There are big tournaments coming and we need you. Coach Ukai knows it now too and I know you will have much more chances to play than you did before. I know Oikawa tried to taunt you by calling you Mr. Refreshing but he was right. You saved us in that game because you brought your style into it. And even if you didn’t play we would need you there to be your calm self. You keep everything together,” Daichi said and stopped to take few breaths. He looked at Suga who was still silent but he was clearly listening. Daichi guessed that was a good sign and he kept going, “I know you feel like Kageyama replaced you but Suga, you are our other setter and the vice-captain and you are so important to the team. Nothing is same without you.”

There was a moment of silence before Daichi continued, “I’m done now. You don’t have to say anything, I just wanted you to know that.” 

Daichi kissed the side of Suga’s head and asked, “Do you want me to go now?”

Suga was quiet for a long time but just when Daichi was about to stand up, Suga quietly mumbled, “Please stay.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Daichi promised immediately. He helped Sugawara up from the couch and half carried the setter into his bedroom. Suga wasn’t shaking anymore but he looked exhausted and Daichi knew the overwhelming moment of insecurity had taken a toll on Suga. Daichi helped him to bed and Suga fell into the soft mattress. Daichi laid down close to the other boy and finally wrapped his arms properly around the slightly shorter boy. Daichi kissed the top of Suga’s head again and Suga let out a quiet hum. Daichi smiled when he felt Suga kiss the hand that was wrapped around Suga’s own fingers.

“I’m sorry,” Suga said quietly.

Daichi rubbed Suga’s hand with his thumb and answered, “There is nothing to be sorry for. I shouldn’t have pushed.”

“It’s okay.”

It really wasn’t okay, but Daichi didn’t want to ruin the moment by getting stuck in apologies. He knew healing took time and that’s what Suga was still doing. That’s what they all were still doing; Hinata and Kageyama did it by running themselves into exhaustion, Tanaka and Nishinoya hadn’t flirted with any girls since the loss because they thought it would lessen their ability to concentrate, Tsukishima had been surprisingly nice towards everyone… They all were still healing and Daichi knew that when Suga was feeling better he would decide to stay with Karasuno. Or at least Daichi hoped so. Suga had already admitted out loud that he missed them and it was a step forwards. Maybe a tiny one but a step nevertheless. Suga was opening up and it was a good thing.

“Hey Daichi?” Suga mumbled.

“Yes?”

“Thank you,” Suga said and even though Daichi couldn’t see Suga’s face, he knew the other boy was blushing. Daichi wasn’t entirely sure what Suga was thanking him for but maybe Suga had accepted Daichi’s words about the team needing him.   
“Always,” Daichi said with a soft smile before reaching out to kiss Suga’s cheek. Daichi felt Suga relax completely and he knew the bad moment had passed. He vowed to make sure he wouldn’t be the cause of those moments ever again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this! ♥ I hope you liked this chapter! I think we are about halfway through this story and the next chapter will have less of Daisuga and more the rest of the team! Thank you again! xxx


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god I'm so sorry it took me this long to post a new chapter! I promise from now on the gaps will be shorter! Millions of thank you hugs for my lovely beta! ♥♥♥

Daichi stayed overnight at Suga's house and the pair walked to school together the next day. Even though the two had been friends forever, Daichi felt like talking to Suga had never been as pleasant as it was now. Everything Suga did made Daichi smile and feel warm inside. Monday and Tuesday went fast and on Tuesday afternoon Suga walked Daichi to his first afternoon practise of the week. As they got closer to the gym, Suga's pace slowed down until he eventually stopped. Daichi stopped too and mentally sighed. He had hoped Suga would walk to the gym with him and at least say hi to the others.

"Can't you at least stop by? Your practice doesn't start until five," Daichi said and his smile dimmed when Suga shook his head.

"I'll stop at the library, either now or after my practice," Suga said.

"Why the library?" Daichi asked, even though he wasn't particularly interested. He just wanted to keep Suga with him a little bit longer.

Suga started to tell him about the book series he was currently reading and Daichi chuckled at the other boy's enthusiasm. Suga got easily interested over new things and when he was excited about something he could babble about it for hours. As Suga kept talking about the book Daichi's heart swelled. He really loved this boy.

"Anyway I asked them to order the next part for..." Suga trailed off when Daichi didn't seem to listen. Raising his eyebrow Suga added: "plus a really hot guy works at the library cafe."

Apparently Daichi had been listening as he immediately turned to look at Suga and his eyes narrowed. He huffed when he saw Suga's amused expression. Daichi should have known Suga was playing with him.

"Are you trying to make me jealous?" Daichi asked and couldn't quite believe he had said that. Suga was way more comfortable with this kind of teasing. Still, Daichi was delighted to see Suga blush slightly. Suga got over it quickly and teasingly smirked. "Is it working?" he asked.

Daichi couldn't bring himself to continue the teasing banter. Suga laughed and to Daichi it was the most beautiful sound ever, even though it was clear Suga was laughing at him. Suga looked like he wanted to lean in for a kiss and Daichi cursed the fact that they were outside where anyone could see them. Instead of leaning in for a kiss Suga raised his hand and adjusted the collar of Daichi's coat. Suga's fingers were cool when they brushed the skin of Daichi's neck and Daichi shivered.

"I have to go now," Suga said and his smile was kind of... yearning.

But Daichi had promised he would stop pushing, so instead of starting to demand Suga had to stay with them he nodded; "See you later, have a great practice."

"You too captain," Suga grinned and this time it was Daichi who turned red.

Suga laughed again and gave a tiny wave before turning to walk away. Daichi smiled too but he was sure his smile was as yearning as Suga's had been. The volleyball captain sighed and continued to walk towards the gym. The surroundings of the gym were empty and quiet except for coach Ukai who was standing by the door.

Ukai didn’t usually smoke when the team was around but now he was leaning against the doorframe of the gym and holding a cigarette in his fingers. The blonde man eyed Suga’s retreating back and his eyes narrowed. When Daichi got close to him he stumped the cigarette and tossed it away. If Takeda-sensei had been there he would have scolded the coach for littering. Daichi turned to look at Suga as well but the older boy had just turned around the corner and Daichi couldn’t see him anymore.

“So he still hasn’t changed his mind?” Ukai asked, trying and failing to sound casual about it.

“No," Daichi sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Do you think he will?" Ukai asked.

"I don't know. He misses us but he doesn't have any faith in himself,” Daichi said, "and I don't think he believes what I tell him because we have been friends for so long."

"Do you think I should ask sensei to talk to him?" Ukai asked and looked at the young third year. Daichi thought about it before nodding; "I think it would be good if someone else talked to him."

"I'll talk to sensei today after practice", Ukai promised and Daichi nodded, grateful that he got someone to help him with Suga.

Daichi picked up his schoolbag and walked towards the gym door. Ukai lit up another cigarette and the volleyball captain shook his head at their coach as he walked into the gym. The gym was empty but by the time Daichi was ready most of his team members had already arrived. Yamaguchi was chatting with Yachi and Daichi was delighted to see the small girl was getting more and more comfortable around them. Of course, out of everyone in the team Yamaguchi, Ennoshita and Suga were the safest choices to talk to. Hinata and Nishinoya came in, arguing loudly over something. They were followed by Kageyama and after the setter walked in everyone had arrived.

“Could you gather around here everyone?” Came Ukai’s call and obediently everyone stopped what they were doing and walked towards the coach and Takeda-sensei.

Daichi and Asahi were the first ones to sit down and the others followed their example. Takeda waited for everyone to settle down before he announced that they had finally found funding for a training camp in Tokyo. The end of Takeda’s announcement was buried under a loud cheer coming from Hinata and Tanaka. The two were practically dancing but they were stopped by Daichi’s murderous glare.

“Be quiet and let Takeda-sensei finish what he was saying,” the captain growled.

Takeda thanked Daichi and even though the excited whispers didn’t really quiet down, he continued to explain the technicalities. The dates they would be staying there, how they would get there and other small pieces of information that left Daichi’s mind immediately after hearing them. When Takeda and Ukai got to the training camp match schedule Daichi found himself really getting excited. He had scolded Hinata and Tanaka for their loud cheering but now Daichi too could barely control himself. Hinata sounded excited they would be playing against Nekoma again while Daichi was enthusiastic to meet other teams from Tokyo.

While the others continued to chat excitedly Daichi turned to look at the two adults, "Should I tell Suga about the camp?"

Everyone quieted down and looked at each other. The short moment of silence was interrupted by Hinata who was practically glowing.

"You should tell Suga-san! Maybe he will come back now that there is a camp coming up!" Hinata said excitedly and the others joined his happiness but Ukai's expression turned into a thoughtful frown.

"Sugawara should know we have a camp coming up. If he decides to join us again he needs to be prepared for the camp. And we do need permission from his parents,” Ukai agreed, "but you shouldn't make it a reason he should come back for. He needs to want to come back because of the team, not because of a trip to Tokyo."

Daichi nodded, understanding what their coach meant. He didn't want Suga to come back just because of the camp either.

He opened his mouth to answer but it was interrupted by a low whine and Nishinoya looked down guiltily. He was holding his phone and Daichi knew he had already texted Suga about the training camp. Daichi sighed. Sometimes Nishinoya acted way too fast and now Daichi had to do some serious damage control. Somehow it felt like it was all Daichi was doing lately. They – Daichi himself included – were terrible at encouraging Suga to stay. Nishinoya mumbled out a quiet sorry and Ukai rubbed his eyes. Daichi felt as tired as the man looked. Hurriedly Daichi promised to talk to Suga about the camp when he met him tomorrow. Ukai and Takeda-sensei nodded and the others promised to let Daichi handle it without interfering.

Daichi sent the team to do warm ups and soon the unsure atmosphere changed to that of excitement again. Suga's absence cast a shadow over the practice but for the first time after Suga's news the team didn't let it to push them down. Daichi couldn't remember the last time they had a practice this energetic and positive.

 

Later that evening Daichi walked to the library and was thrilled to notice Suga was still there. The older boy was sitting in a comfy arm chair by the window and was completely focused on the book he found. Daichi walked towards the silver haired boy and Suga rolled his eyes when he saw Daichi.

"I love you for wanting to spend time with me, but you shouldn't always wait for my practice to end,” Suga said fondly, "have you even been home yet?"

"No, but I'm fine," Daichi said and it was true. Suga was way more important than food or homework.

Suga scolded at the younger boy and Daichi quipped back, "You are just mad that I crashed your date with the hot cafe-guy. Where is he by the way?"

Suga took Daichi's hand and pulled him between the shelves. From their hiding place they could see the counter of the small cafe and after a moment a dark haired young man appeared from the back rooms.

Daichi had to admit the guy was hot, but he wasn't beautiful like Suga and that lowered his points a lot. Daichi voiced his opinion and enjoyed the blush that appeared on Suga's face. He felt even more proud of himself when Suga couldn't figure out anything to quip back. Suga stuck out his tongue and Daichi let out a laugh. They began to walk away from the library. Instead of taking a bus they decided to walk home as it was still quite early and it wasn't an overwhelmingly long distance.

After they had walked for ten minutes Daichi finally managed to find courage to tell Suga about the training camp. Karasuno’s captain wasn't sure how to begin, so he went straight to the point, "Takeda sensei said we finally have funding for the training camp in Tokyo. We will be training with Nekoma, Fukurodani and several other teams from the Tokyo area."

"When is the camp supposed to begin?" Suga asked with a hint of curiosity in his voice.

"Two weeks from now on Monday," Daichi said.

"We have an away game in Ishinomaki on that Friday,” Suga said and Daichi immediately knew there was no way Suga would skip that in order to join the training camp. Daichi tried to keep the accusation away from his voice when he asked, "So you are not coming?"

"No, I'm not,” Suga said, "I'm finally opening player again. Don't be mad,” Suga said.

Daichi's eyes immediately softened. He quickly glanced around and when he was sure they were alone he pressed a kiss over Suga's brow. Suga relaxed and Daichi looked into his eyes when he said, "Of course I'm not mad, Suga. I'm so proud of you and you deserve this chance to play. I'm just a bit disappointed I won't be able to see your game."

"I wouldn't be able to focus if you were there," Suga admitted.

“You have been concentrating pretty well until now,” Daichi pointed out.

“I have hyperventilated in the bathroom before and after practice since the end of first year,” Suga answered easily.

“Sure,” Daichi huffed. He was pretty sure Suga was exaggerating but the thought made Daichi blush nevertheless. Suga laughed and they continued to walk in easy atmosphere.

The rest of the walk went by with Suga telling Daichi about his upcoming game and Daichi telling Suga about his practice. Too soon they reached the crossroad where they had to separate and Daichi turned to look at Suga. He wanted to give Suga a goodnight kiss but their home streets were filled with curious people. Instead of a kiss he quickly squeezed Suga’s hand and smiled when Suga squeezed back.

“Good night Koushi.” Daichi said softly.

“Good night, captain.” Suga grinned.

“Stop that!” Daichi said but his scold was ruined by laughter.

“Never”, Suga grinned. “Go home, you must be exhausted. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Sugawara turned around and started to walk towards his home that was further along the street. Daichi looked after him, chest aching, but Daichi figured it was a good ache. A dog barked somewhere closeby and Daichi could recognize Mamoru’s bark. Daichi supposed Mamoru had heard his voice and this was Mamoru’s way to tell the boy come home. Suga had already disappeared from sight and Daichi blushed when he realised how often he nowdays spaced out staring after Koushi. Mamoru barked again and Daichi forced himself to move from the spot. It took him few minutes to walk home and Mamoru was waiting for him by the gate. Daichi slipped into their small garden and pet the dog. After Mamoru was satisfied with the attention he got from Daichi he jogged towards the house. Daichi followed the dog into the house and called out from the doorway, “Mom, dad, I’m home!” 

Daichi’s father was sitting by the tv and lightly scolded his son for coming home so late but his mother just smiled knowingly and kissed Daichi’s cheek as the boy walked into the kitchen. She offered him a small plate of food and Daichi gladly accepted it. He started to tell about the training camp to his parents but in the end the exhaustion caught up with him and Daichi went to bed shortly after he finished his food. Before switching the lights off Daichi picked up his phone and wrote a quick text:

_I meant it when I said I’m proud of you._ He sent the message to Suga and let his head fall against the pillows.

Not a minute later, Daichi’s phone vibrated to signal a new message; _I know. I’ll see you tomorrow._

Daichi smiled at Suga’s message, glad that he believed him. Suddenly Daichi didn’t feel so tired anymore. He started to think about their upcoming training camp and suddenly he was feeling too excited to actually be able to sleep. He felt excited over Suga’s upcoming game too and he made a mental note to ask Suga for a schedule of his games so he could go to see him play. 

Daichi was still holding the phone in his hand and instead of placing it back on the table he spent a moment reading his and Suga’s previous messages. Daichi laughed at the memories the messages held. He rolled his eyes at the messages Noya had sent to Suga from his phone and felt tears in his eyes for the ones they had sent whent they had fought during the end of second year. Daichi smiled at a picture of cupcakes Suga had made for mother’s day last year. He leaned his head back and let out a happy sigh. He would need to organize their date soon.

At some point the phone slipped from his fingers and he fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, hugs! ♥
> 
> I hope you still like the fic! About four chapters to go! :)


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the lovely comments I got after last chapter! They made me so happy! :) ♥

Suga groaned as he fell on the soft mattress of his bed. This evening’s training had been intense and even after a thorough stretching, his muscles ached. He raised his hand towards the ceiling and winced at the ache in his shoulder. Still, he smiled. The guys from the community team along with Daichi and Asahi were teaching him to spike and while he was still awkward, he was getting better day by day. Suga felt like he had already gotten more confident with his tosses as well and he had only been training with his new team for a few weeks. Or had it been longer? Time flied so fast Suga couldn't really keep up. Maybe it was the absence of the highly skilled Kageyama that made Suga trust himself and his own skills again. Then his thoughts drifted from Kageyama to the rest of the team who were at their training camp in Tokyo. 

Daichi had texted him yesterday when they had just arrived in Tokyo and he had gotten a message from Asahi but he was fairly sure Asahi himself hadn't written the message. It was filled with typos, abbreviations and emoticons and Asahi barely knew how to make a smiley face. Daichi had also sent him good night wishes but since then he hadn't heard anything of the team. Of course Suga understood the team was busy but somehow he still felt like this was how things were going to be from now on. He was busy with his own things and Daichi was busy with his and they were going to drift apart before they had even properly been together. Suga closed his eyes, sighed and banished such thoughts from his head and vowed he wouldn't let that happen. 

Suga's eyes flew open when he heard a door open. He saw nothing but a second later his mattress dipped and Suga felt soft paws on the back of his thighs. Rei - the Sugawara family's cat - walked on Suga's back, sat down and curled into a ball. Suga tried to turn his head to see what the cat was doing but the movement caused her to sink her claws into his back. Suga yelped and shot up and Rei let out a suffering whine as she fell down. Rei was whisking her tail and glared at Suga disapprovingly from the corner of the bed.

"It's not my fault - I'm not a climbing frame!" Suga huffed at the cat.

"Did you say something Koushi dear?" Came the voice of Sugawara Yoshiko from the hallway.

"Um... no. Or kind of. I'm talking to Rei," Suga answered sheepishly.

Suga's mom appeared in the doorway and laughed when she looked at her son and their cat glaring at each other. Somewhere in the house a door opened and Rei sprinted into the hallway in hope of getting out before the door closed again. Suga frowned at the opened door as he didn’t know they were expecting guests. His mother seemed to read his expression as she smiled: “It’s Fukuhara-san. I promised to drive her to the train station. Do you want to come? We could get unhealthy dinner on the way back.” 

At first Suga felt like refusing but then he decided if he was left alone in the house he would just keep thinking about Daichi and Karasuno and it would make him restless. So he agreed to go with his mom and her friend if they could wait until he freshened up a little bit. Yoshiko nodded and told him they weren’t in a rush. Fifteen minutes later Suga had changed his clothes, sorted out his hair and washed his hands and face. When he slid to the back seat of his mother’s car he noticed he had left his phone on his nightstand. He itched to go and get it but now they were in a hurry and he figured no one would miss him while they were out. And since Daichi hadn’t answered any of his texts he could wait until Suga was back home if he did text or call while Suga was away.

Three hours later Suga and his mother returned home and Suga had to admit he had a great time. He made a note to spend more time with his mom and they should eat in the town more often. Rei was sleeping on Suga’s pillow and the boy picked the cat up and moved her to the end of the bed. The cat didn’t react at all, just continued to sleep and sometimes Suga wondered how cats could sleep no matter what was happening around them. Suga pulled the covers over himself and reached out for the phone that was resting on the nightstand. No texts or unanswered calls. Suga felt his earlier annoyance return even though he knew he didn’t have a right to be annoyed. He had decided to leave the team and he had decided not to join the others for the camp. Still, he couldn’t believe Daichi was so busy that he didn’t have time for one message. Suga twirled the phone in his fingers and wondered if he should try to call him. Then he decided against it and quickly typed simple good night wishes and sent the message to Daichi. 

 

The next morning Suga was sitting on the floor by their living room table. He was spinning his phone on the wooden surface and stared into nothingness. Daichi had sent him good night wishes after Suga himself had already fallen asleep. He had written a short explanation on what they had been doing until now and apologized for not answering but that was about it. Suga answered him after he had woken up but he had already given up on hope of hearing anything about Daichi before evening. 

Yoshiko walked around her son, picking up things she needed at work later that day, muttering half to herself when she couldn't find her wallet. When her son didn't seem to notice she was in the room she stopped and looked at Koushi with concern.

"Is everything alright, honey?" Yoshiko asked, pulling Koushi out of his thoughts.

"It's stupid. I made the decision to leave the team but now I feel like I want to join the others at the camp”, Suga groaned and let his head hit the surface of the table. His forehead hit the table with more force than he had intended and he groaned in pain. His mother laughed and ruffled his hair fondly. Yoshiko sat on the floor next to her son and brushed some hairs from his eyes.

"You played for Karasuno for a long time and you, Daichi-kun and the whole team have experienced a lot together. It feels natural you miss them, especially now that there is something special like the training camp”, She said.

"But I ran after the first defeat." Suga muttered miserably, "isn't that cowardly?"

"There is nothing cowardly in doing what you feel is right for you, Koushi", Yoshiko said gently and not for the first time she wished Koushi's father was still with them. In sports related issues she felt like Koushi might believe his father's words better than his mother’s. 

When her son didn’t look convinced she sighed and continued, “It has been a long time since I have seen you this enthusiastic and motivated about volleyball. You actually look happy when you come home after your practice and I have missed that Koushi. I think you made a right decision when you switched to the community team, even though it doesn’t always feel like it.” 

Suga looked into his mother’s eyes and fought a hint of smile on his face. “I guess”, he answered but doubt was audible in his voice.

“We need to get your mind off of things”, Yoshiko said determinedly. “How about I skip work and you skip school and we’ll do something fun together.” 

Suga’s eyes widened and he stared at his mother unbelievingly. Daichi had once said Suga had a playful personality and Suga guessed he must have inherited it from his mother. Suga was about to open his mouth and be the rational one but Yoshiko had already pulled out her phone and was dialing the number of her workplace. Two minutes later she had finished her theatrical explanation why she had to stay home and put away her phone. She dialed his school next and Suga shook his head but there was a fond smile on his face. His mother was crazy but Suga had to admit he could use a day off and his mother was great at distracting him. But he felt guilty for making her worry.

“Okay then, what would you like to do?” Yoshiko asked after she disconnected the call.

“Mom, as much as I appreciate this, you don’t have to make this kind of fuss to make me feel better. It will pass.”

“Well you should have said that before the phone calls and as your mother it’s my duty to make it pass right now,” Yoshiko said and she was smiling. “Now quit making difficulties. We are going so name the place.”

Koushi was about to protest a little bit more but then he understood his mother wasn’t going to change his mind and if Suga turned down an offered day off Nishinoya would never let him be. Truthfull, going to school would just remind Suga of the fact that the others weren’t there. His muscles were still sore from yesterday’s practice so Suga knew exactly how to spend their day off.

“We could visit the hot springs and eat at that street food market you read about couple of weeks ago,” Suga suggested.

His mother agreed immediately, her eyes brightening when Koushi mentioned the hot springs. Koushi sprinted upstairs, feeling only slightly guilty for skipping school like this. In an hour they were ready and Suga slipped into the front seat of his mother’s car. Only fifteen minutes later he noticed he had left his phone behind. For a moment he felt like demanding his mother to turn around so he could get it but in the end he decided there was no point. Daichi had proved he was too busy to chat with him and having his phone with him would drive him insane and he wouldn’t be able to relax and have fun. Instea of worrying about his phone Suga concentrated on listing all the hot springs what were in a driving distance from their town. He skipped the most expensive ones and Sakunami onsen because they had already visited it once. He also skipped Iwaizumi hot springs because it made Suga feel like he was cheating on his former teammates. Finally he found one only an hour away so they decided to head there.

During the car drive and even after they had settled themselves into the hot spring water Suga’s mother kept talking about irrelevant things to keep Suga’s mind off of Karasuno’s training camp but it didn’t really work. No matter how much Suga tried to think about other things his thoughts kept wandering restlessly from his upcoming game to Daichi and the others. How were they doing? Was Karasuno finally able to win against Nekoma in a practice game? Was he really good enough to play in the game? Had he made the right decision? Did Daichi miss him at all? Did….

“I can practically see the question marks above your head, honey,” Yoshiko said and splashed water over her son, “this trip was supposed to get your mind off of things. Don’t tell me I let you skip school for no reason.”

“I can’t push them out of my mind no matter how hard I try”, Suga admitted.

“Would it help to talk about it?” Yoshio asked her son but Suga shook his head.

“To be honest I think I need to talk to Daichi about it,” Suga said and hoped he didn’t hurt his mother’s feelings but the woman was smiling at him gently.

“Daichi has always been able to make you feel better,” Yoshiko said, “I’m glad you have him.” 

“Yeah,” Suga admitted but couldn’t help but mentally add “at least I used to” into the sentence. 

Suga sighed and let himself sink into the hot water and finally let himself relax.

 

In the end the day at the hot springs and the evening at the food market relaxed Suga to the point where he fell asleep in the car on the way back home. He rarely slept in a car and when he did Daichi was usually beside him and they were on the bus. This time he fell asleep after ten minutes of driving and didn't wake up until his mother stopped the car and woke him up. Suga blinked in confusion when his mother told him they were home.

"Should I carry you?" Yoshiko asked her son and Suga blushed.

"I can walk! Sorry for falling asleep on you,” Koushi said.

His mother brushed it off with a wave of her hand. She was just glad her son was clearly more relaxed and comfortable than he had been this morning. Despite Koushi's protests his mother helped him into the house.

"Now that you are about to start playing again I think you should start seeing a masseuse a few times a month. Your body was exhausted and that's why you are so out of it right now”, Yoshiko said as she guided Suga to sit by their kitchen table.

"You might be right,” Suga mumbled, still feeling sleepy.

"Of course I'm right, I'm your mother,” came the immediate response.

Suga chuckled. He rubbed his eyes before turning to look at his mother, "I don't know if the team has a physiotherapist though."

"Well if the team doesn't then we'll find one from town," his mother answered and kissed the side of his head.

"Or we could just visit the onsen a few times a month. Or once a week,” Suga said and laughed at the dreamy expression of his mother. 

Feeling excited Suga picked up his mother's laptop and started to search for physiotherapists and masseuse nearby. His mother was right, he felt motivated again - a feeling that he had at least partially lost after Kageyama and Hinata joined the team. After their arrival Suga had found interest in technical information and it had been fun to be able to share the information he knew with the younger students. But the excitement over playing had dimmed in Kageyama's shadow. He still held a strong interest towards the technical side of volleyball but actually playing was fun again as well. It was going to feel amazing to play in a game again on Friday. Suddenly Suga felt an exploding need to play or practice and he wondered if this was how Hinata felt all the time. He couldn’t wait for tomorrow’s practice. 

“Koushi dear, isn’t that your phone?” His mother’s voice came from the hall.

Koushi frowned and realised his mother was telling the truth. Somewhere upstairs Suga’s phone was playing the tune he had saved as Daichi’s ringtone. Knocking down the chair the boy sprinted out of their kitchen and up the stairs. Rei let out a suffering whine when Suga interrupted her nap time by almost stepping on her tail, missing by few centimeters. Suga opened the door to his bedroom. His phone was chirping insistently on his nightstand and Suga knocked it to the floor in his clumsy attempt to pick it up. Suga let out a row of muttered swear words before he finally managed to pick up the phone and accept the call. 

“Daichi! I’m so sorry it took me this long to…” Suga rushed to answer but Daichi interrupted him mid-sentence, “Suga, we need you to come back.”

The words were rushed and serious and Suga knew that this time it wasn’t the usual half-serious insisting Daichi and the team had kept up since Suga had declared he was leaving. This time Suga knew from Daichi’s tone that something had happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you go! I hope you liked this chapter! :) ♥


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daichi asks Suga's help and the two finally have a talk about their feelings :)

Suga was waiting by the front gate of Sawamura’s house. Daichi was still munching his breakfast as he slipped out the door. He called out to his parents as he was leaving, his voice only a mumble because of the rice in his mouth. Sugawara was playing with Mamoru and cheerfully talking to the dog. Daichi looked at them fondly for a moment. He had really missed Suga while he had been in Tokyo. Daichi looked at Suga for a moment before letting the silver haired boy know he had arrived. Suga gave him a playful, “Finally,” making Daichi roll his eyes. Suga’s smile was blinding but even that wasn’t enough to make Daichi feel better.

Koushi seemed to notice this too because the smile was replaced by concern, “What happened in Tokyo? You told me you didn’t want to talk about it on phone.” 

Daichi sighed. He was embarrassed he had let their team get into this situation. Suga could see Daichi’s hesitation and touched his hand, reassuring him that everything was alright. Daichi took a deep breath before he started to tell Suga about his trip to Tokyo and why they had come home this early. First he told Suga about things they had done in Tokyo. He told him about Kuroo and Bokuto and Suga chuckled at Daichi’s explanation about Bokuto in general. Then Daichi got more serious and Suga frowned as well. He told him about the tension between Hinata and Kageyama and he told him what happened the night they had come back home. By that time they had reached the street of Karasuno High and Suga was staring at Daichi with wide eyes. 

“They really fought?” Suga asked incredulously and this time Daichi could hear the concern in his voice.

Daichi nodded and answered, “Yes, with fists and all. They scared Yachi to death and Tanaka had to pull them apart.” 

Koushi looked scared when Daichi mentioned the fist fight and Daichi could understand the feeling. Hinata and Kageyama’s friendship had always been fiery. The two argued all the time but Suga had always thought that was their own weird way showing affection. He had never thought their arguments would escalate into a physical fight that needed to be stopped by another team mate. Suga ached to go to Hinata and Kageyama to see how the small crows were doing and if they were alright.

“We need your help, Suga,” Daichi said quietly.

Suga nodded, “Of course I’ll help, we can’t have those two fighting.” 

But Daichi could hear from his voice that helping them didn’t mean Suga was coming back. But he decided that maybe it wasn’t important right now. His team was falling apart and it was his job to fix it again. Suga was important but his situation wasn’t as flammable as Hinata and Kageyama’s. Suga was sensible while the two first years tended to do reckless and stupid things. Well, Daichi thought leaving Karasuno was a stupid move from Suga but at least they could talk about it. Daichi knew if he let Hinata and Kageyama go now they wouldn’t be coming back and - even though it hurt to admit it - Karasuno could manage without Suga, but they needed Kageyama and Hinata. 

Daichi had to make sure the two would return.

“I have practice today and I can’t skip it because it’s the last one before our game. But I promise to come to your evening practice tomorrow,” Suga said and seemed to count inside his head, “Our game in Ishinomaki starts at one and if we play full sets then we’ll leave Ishinomaki around four. The drive is quite long so I might be a little late from your practice though. But if we finish earlier I’ll be with you from the beginning.”

Daichi cursed himself. He had already forgotten all about Suga’s game and now he felt bad for pushing his own problems on Suga’s shoulders as well. Koushi didn’t seem to mind though, and it made Daichi feel a little better. He observed Suga, and even though Suga still looked concerned about Hinata and Kageyama, he looked more relaxed than he had when Daichi had last seen him. Suga told him about his trip to the onsen and it seemed like the relaxing trip had done good. Suga was practically glowing and Daichi couldn’t take his eyes off of him.

“Thank you for helping us,” Daichi said.

“I haven’t done anything yet,” Suga protested but enjoyed the words nevertheless.

“No, but I know you will,” Daichi said, “Your presence calms everyone down.”

This time Suga blushed.

They walked to the school yard just as the bell rang so they had to sprint in order to be on time. They passed class 3 and called out greetings to Asahi - and Noya who was sitting on Asahi’s desk and made no move to leave even though Asahi’s teacher was glaring at him. Their own teacher gave them a look as they slipped into the classroom. Daichi and Suga gave her sheepish apologies and slipped into their seats. 

Daichi settled down behind his desk but somehow he couldn’t concentrate on the lesson at all. He looked at Suga whose was biting his lip and his brow was wrinkled as he wrote something into his notebook. Daichi thought he looked cute and smiled at the thought. It felt so good to have Koushi this close to him again. He had missed Suga terribly while he had been in Tokyo and he had decided he would need to talk to Suga about their own situation as well. It felt like they were more than friends now but they weren’t officially a couple and it made Daichi feel awkward at times. He knew Suga liked him back but he wasn’t sure what he was allowed to do and how far he was allowed to go until they had talked about it. 

Daichi’s train of thought was interrupted by a loud yelp coming from Asahi’s classroom. Noya walked past their class, rubbing his head. Suga turned to look at Daichi and the two shared a laugh before giving their attention to their teacher again. Daichi forced himself to concentrate on the class, deciding he could talk to Suga tonight. 

Or maybe they could spend some time together this weekend, Daichi thought and smiled. 

Later that afternoon, Daichi and Suga walked towards the gym with Asahi and Kiyoko. When they got closer, Suga stopped and once again promised to join them tomorrow. Daichi nodded and opened his mouth to say something but the look on Suga’s face stopped him. He followed Suga’s gaze and they saw Kageyama walking towards the gym from the other direction, head down and still wearing plasters that reminded them of how terrible the fight had been. Hinata walked towards the gym as well but he stopped when he saw Kageyama. The black haired boy slipped into the gym without saying anything and Hinata looked down too. 

“Or do you think I should skip my practice?” Suga asked when saw how upset Hinata looked.

“This is an important practice for you, of course you should go,” Daichi said.

Kiyoko and Asahi agreed with him even though they all were slightly reluctant. Suga hesitated for a moment before nodding. Daichi was right, this was important. But Hinata, Kageyama and Karasuno were important too and even though Suga wasn’t officially part of the team anymore it felt like he was betraying them. Daichi saw his hesitation and squeezed his shoulder.

“Suga honestly, you should go. I know you feel bad for them - we all do - but it’s going to be fine. I’ll talk to them both today and then we can think about how to continue from this,” Daichi promised.

Finally Suga nodded, “I’ll see you tonight?”

“Of course,” Daichi said, “I’ll wait at the sports centre.” 

True to his words, Daichi was waiting for Suga at the bus stop, still not comfortable going inside the centre. While waiting for Suga, Daichi thought about the recent events in his head. They had agreed Kageyama and Hinata would train separately for a while to make them less dependant on each other. For Kageyama, the situation was alright because there were plenty of players to train with, but right now they only had one setter so it was more difficult for Hinata. Hinata was practising with former coach Ukai but Daichi knew he had to play with Karasuno too if they wanted to beat Aobajousai - and Shiratorizawa - during the Spring Tournament. They desperately needed Suga’s help and Daichi wondered if the setter of the girls team would like to help as well.   
The door of the sports centre slid open and the first players of the community team came out. Suga followed them soon and looked around before spotting Daichi by the bus stop sign. He walked to Daichi, fondly scolding him for not coming inside. Daichi ignored the words with a huff, making Suga chuckle lightly.

“Did you wait long?” Suga asked as they started to walk.

“Couple of minutes,” Daichi said because he knew if he had admitted being there for an hour Suga would think he was weird.

“How are things with Hinata and Kageyama?” Suga asked just as Daichi had been about to ask how Suga’s practice went. 

“We decided it might do them good if they practiced separately for a while,” Daichi said and Suga’s forehead wrinkled in concern.

“So it really was that bad?” Suga asked though it was more a statement than a question.

“Yes, but I think it’s going to be fine. Those two love playing with each other so they will get over it,” Daichi said and tried to sound convincing, “We’ll need another setter though. We really need you, Suga.”

“I’ll be there, I already promised,” Suga reassured him, “I’ll always help you, Daichi.” 

Daichi felt his heart swell and once again he wondered how he was so lucky to have Suga as his best friend. And maybe they would be something more after they had the chance to talk about their feelings. Suga asked what Daichi was smiling about and Daichi quickly said that it was nothing. Suga laughed at Daichi as they walked to their home street. It didn’t take them long to reach Suga’s house. His mom was in the garden, trying to change the burnt bulb of their garden light.

“Mom, let me do that,” Suga said immediately, sounding worried.

“Oh, hey my boys!” Yoshiko greeted them, “don’t worry about it, Koushi dear. I’m all done.”

Suga helped her down from the chair she had been standing on and the woman looked proud when she pressed the switch and the light turned on. Then she turned to look at Suga and Daichi, fussing around them and asking if they wanted to eat something. The two boys told her they weren’t particularly hungry but she ignored them, pulling out bowls and chopsticks and placing them on the table. Suga shook his head fondly and left Daichi to chat with his mother while he took a quick shower. When he returned, the food was on the table and Daichi was already eating. Suga sat on the opposite seat and started to eat as well. After making sure the boys actually ate, Yoshiko excused herself and told the boys she was going jogging with Akiyama-san from next door. 

“You don’t have to eat it,” Suga said after they heard the door close.

“Are you kidding, your mom’s food is the best,” Daichi said and lapped the rice and beef into his mouth eagerly. 

Suga laughed and started to eat as well. He had always been picky about eating right after practice even though he knew food after training was important. Daichi placed his chopsticks on the table and eyed Suga. He was happy to see Suga had gotten rid of his habit of not eating after practice but Daichi tried not to stare, knowing how unnerving it was when someone stared at you while you were eating. Instead he stood up and washed the dishes even though Suga told him not to. They were finally alone and knowing Suga’s mother, they would be alone for quite a long time. It would be the perfect opportunity to talk to Suga about their relationship. Suga seemed to have similar thoughts because the look he gave Daichi after putting away his bowl was almost shy. Daichi hoped he imagined the shyness though, because Suga was the open one of the two of them, and found talking easy, while Daichi was awkward.

“We should… I mean do you want to do something?” Suga asked and cleared his throat, sounding very much like Daichi usually sounded in situations like this; clumsy and unsure.

And Daichi knew what Suga was really asking so he decided to jump, “I would like to talk to you. You know… about us.”

Suga nodded and a light blush made its way onto his face. Daichi thought Suga looked adorable but didn’t want to make Suga feel uncomfortable by commenting about it. Maybe he would soon be allowed to say it as many times as he wanted. Suga lead Daichi into his room and sat down on his bed. Daichi sat down next to him and shifted closer so their arms brushed against each other. They were quiet for a long time. Daichi was waiting for Suga to begin and Suga was wondering what he should say. 

After a long silence they both started to talk at the same time, “I…”

Then they laughed. It was a sudden burst of laughter, almost like they had planned it beforehand. Suga buried his face into Daichi’s arm as he giggled and Daichi rubbed his face with his hand to wipe the water out of his eyes. What was wrong with them? Suga’s laugh was beautiful so technically Daichi didn’t mind the situation at all but really, had they always been this awkward? Daichi moaned at their stupidity which only made Suga laugh harder. Daichi playfully hit his arm to make him stop but he was laughing as well. 

“Do you want me to go first?” Suga asked after calming down.

“Please,” Daichi said thankfully. 

Suga bit his lip, thinking how to start until he decided he would just go for it, “When you were in Tokyo I really missed you. It really scared me when you didn’t answer my texts and of course I know I don’t have the right to be so insecure when I was the one who left but I couldn’t help but feel like I was losing you.”

Daichi’s eyes widened and he went to interrupt but Suga shook his head, wanting to finish what he had to say, “Now I know you had a reason not to text and I feel stupid for freaking out like that but it doesn’t change the fact that this is how things are going to be like from now on. You have your team and I have my team and even if I decide to come back to Karasuno, soon we’ll be graduating and who knows which universities both of us will end up going to. Everything from now on is going to be difficult but I think that everything would be a little easier if we both knew what’s going on between us.”

Suga was little out of breath after talking so much so suddenly. Daichi tried to process everything Suga just said but there was one thing he needed to say right now, “You are not going to lose me, Koushi. I wanted to text you but as you know now, the camp wasn’t that good. And if you had been away and not answered my texts I would have felt exactly like you did so you don’t have to feel stupid or sorry about that either. But I promise I’ll always be there for you. No matter what you decide to do about volleyball or whichever university both of us end up going to, you will never lose me, okay?” 

Suga still looked unsure but Daichi repeated the word and Suga’s shoulders sagged in relief, “Okay.” 

They were quiet again and this time it was Daichi who talked first, “I asked you out on a date and you agreed so I think it’s safe to assume you feel the same way about me that I feel about you. I like you a lot, Koushi, and not just as a friend.”

“I was just going to say you still owe me that date,” Suga said cheerfully before continuing, “I like you a lot too. You are my best friend but lately it has been a lot more than that, hasn’t it?” 

Daichi nodded, feeling stupid that they had taken this long to talk about everything. Suga had clearly been feeling exactly like he had for a long time. Suga leaned closer to Daichi and Daichi wrapped his arm around Suga’s shoulders, finally reassured that he was allowed to do that. It was funny how a simple act like that now felt so intimate even though they had done it hundreds of times in the past. Suga leaned his head against Daichi’s shoulder and relaxed against the comfortable warmth. 

“So kissing you is alright?” Suga asked suddenly.

Daichi pulled his arm away from Suga’s shoulders in surprise and Suga enjoyed the blush on his face. Daichi nodded and sputtered out an awkward, “Yes” and leaned closer but Suga stopped him by pressing his hand on Daichi’s mouth. Daichi whined in disappointment but Suga spoke again, “And kissing you is alright after this as well?”

Daichi nodded again and Suga removed his hand, connecting their lips for a soft kiss. Suga rolled over so he was practically sitting on Daichi’s lap, and Daichi wrapped his arms around Suga’s back as the silver haired boy ran his fingers through Daichi’s dry hair. Kissing Suga was amazing and even though they had shared kisses before, this time it felt like their first official kiss and it felt wonderful. Suga was a great kisser. He was demanding and playful but he happily submitted when Daichi wanted to take control of the kiss. Suga shivered when Daichi ran his hands under his shirt and suddenly Daichi felt like they had to stop before they both lost control of the situation. Suga seemed to think similarly because he pulled back, moaning in disappointed when the kiss ended. Suga looked so beautiful with his lips red and puffy and a pink flush on his cheeks. This time he told this to Suga and Suga looked embarrassed but pleased for the compliment. 

They shared another kiss and after that Suga wrapped his arms around Daichi and pressed his face against Daichi’s neck. Suga’s breath tickled Daichi’s skin and he squirmed under Suga’s warm weight.

After a while Suga moved again and asked, “Are we boyfriends now?”

Suga’s voice was playful but Daichi could see the seriousness on his face. Daichi smiled at the thought of them as boyfriends and answered, “Yes, if that’s what you want as well.”

Suga nodded and Daichi could feel how the weight pressing his shoulders finally vanished. Finally they were on the same page and of course Daichi knew things were going to be difficult and they still needed to talk about everything but for now he let himself relax and be happy. He felt Suga relax as well and something wet fell on his arm. Daichi shot up.

“Are you crying?” he asked, immediately worried.

“No!” Suga denied as he wiped his eyes, “Alright, I am, but only because I’m so happy!”

Daichi smiled and kissed Suga’s tear stained cheek. Suga cuddled close again and yawned. It made Daichi check the time and his eyes widened when he realised how late it actually was. He kissed Suga’s hair and asked if he could stay the night. Suga mumbled that he was an idiot for asking, making Daichi chuckle lightly. He moved away, making Suga whine in disappointment. Daichi smiled, he felt disappointed too. Instead of cuddling Suga again Daichi promised to be right back and pulled out his phone. He had already told his parents he might stay at Suga’s house for the night but he thought it was good behaviour to confirm this. After a quick phone call Daichi laid down again.

“Everything alright?” Suga asked. 

“Yes, my dad said it was alright for me to stay as long as we go to sleep at reasonable hours,” Daichi said, “Oh and your mom is at our house.” 

Suga nodded, knowing his mom wouldn’t be back until late at night if she started chatting with Daichi’s mom. Suga cuddled close to Daichi again and they stayed silent for a little while. As the silence got longer Suga’s thoughts started to wander. Daichi seemed to notice Suga was not quite there so he kissed his cheek and asked, “How are you feeling about tomorrow?” 

“Huh? Oh, good but nervous, I guess,” Suga said. “The practice went well and we are well prepared but it’s scary to be an opening player again. What if I can’t do it?”

“I know you can do it, Koushi,” Daichi said firmly, not wanting Suga’s insecurities to ruin his first game on a new team. 

“I hope so, it would be embarrassing to mess up after I was deliberately asked to be a setter,” Suga said.

“Hey,” Daichi said sternly, making sure to bring some of his captain tone into his voice, “You are not going to mess up. You are an incredibly good player and you get along with everyone. You’ll do wonderfully, I know it. Don’t let Kageyama ruin this for you.” 

“I guess you are right, thanks Daichi,” Suga said and Daichi squeezed his hand. 

Suga leaned up to kiss Daichi again, feeling less nervous than he had before. Daichi always said Suga was the one who made everyone calm down but Daichi had exactly the same effect on him. He could make Suga feel calm by being there and he didn’t even have to do anything, kissing and touching was just a very nice bonus. Suga yawned again and Daichi decided it might do them both good to get some sleep. While Daichi had been on the phone Suga had pulled out the futon but when Daichi made a move to stand up Suga clung to his arm and didn’t seem like he was going to let go anytime soon.

“Sleep with me,” Suga said insistently. 

Under any other circumstances Daichi would have blushed but now it was clear what Suga meant. Suga untangled himself from Daichi and got up, stretching lazily. He leaned down to brush another kiss on Daichi’s lips - just because he could - before walking into the bathroom. With a toothbrush still in his mouth he mumbled Daichi could borrow anything from his closet. Daichi pulled out a t-shirt that suspiciously looked like one of his own and changed into it. After Suga was done washing his teeth, Daichi went to the bathroom to wash his face and teeth as well. Half an hour later they were back on Suga’s bed, fighting how to arrange their pillows. Daichi felt so happy when he thought how domestic that was.

“Good night, captain,” Suga mumbled sleepily.

“Good night, Koushi,” Daichi answered and buried his face into Suga’s hair.

Suga’s breathing evened out quickly and the older boy was asleep in only a few minutes. Daichi thought it was because he was still nervous about tomorrow and wished he could go to Ishinomaki to support Suga’s team. Well - their team as it was the town’s community team. He knew Suga had a permit to skip school tomorrow but there was no way Daichi would get one if he asked. He wondered if should go to Ishinomaki anyway. Takeda would be understanding and he would talk to the other teachers, Daichi hoped. 

Deciding to think about it again in the morning, Daichi pulled Suga into his arms and soon he too fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry that it took me this long to post a new chapter! The next one will be up quicker as it's almost done! I'll try to post it by Sunday! :) 
> 
> Big hugs and thank yous to those of you who are still reading this! Please leave me comments! :) I love you all! ♥♥♥♥
> 
> Next chapter will include Suga's volleyball game and Karasuno's evening practice!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> According to Haikyuu!! wikia Karasuno High is located in Torono Town so that's what I named Suga's team too! :)

Next morning – well almost midday – Daichi drummed his fingers against the armrest of his train seat. The landscape outside had changed from mountains to seaside as they got closer to Ishinomaki train station. Daichi was nervous. He wasn’t sure if Suga wanted to see him in the crowd but Daichi’s curiosity and need to see Suga play won in the end. He had gone home from Suga’s house and argued with his parents for a while until they had given in. Daichi had booked the tickets and there he was, sitting on the train and on his way to see Suga play. Suga had been nervous and uncharacteristically snappy but Daichi had done his best to calm him down. He felt like he had succeeded because Suga was happier and looked more relaxed when he left for the sports centre.

A machine-like female voice told the passengers the train would reach the station within five minutes. Daichi pulled his bag from the shelf above his head and moved closer to the door. He would have to catch the bus to reach the Ishinomaki gymnasium and he didn’t want to miss it.

When the doors opened, Daichi sprinted out and ran in the direction pointed out by a sign. The bus was waiting at the bus stop and Daichi climbed in. 

The drive to the gymnasium wasn’t that long and Daichi checked the time on his phone. He would be there just when the game was supposed to start and cursed inside his head. He should have taken an earlier train, now he could miss the first minutes of the game and he didn’t want to miss a second of Suga playing.

Daichi stopped at the ticket desk and asked how much the ticket was. A cheerful woman behind the desk told him the entrance was actually free but if Daichi wanted to support either team he could buy a booklet and they would direct the money to the teams. Daichi happily gave her the money and picked up the booklet she was offering.

“Thank you for your support!” The woman said, “the gym is behind those open doors on the right and bathrooms are little further away on the left.”

Daichi thanked the woman and walked to the direction she pointed.

There was quite a big crowd on the stands even though this was only a game between two community teams. Ishinomaki seemed to have a nice volleyball culture and it made Daichi happy. He walked through the rows and found a seat at the front by the railing. The teams were warming up on the other side of the court and Daichi could see Suga stretching in the corner. He was wearing a green hoodie with green and white volleyball shorts. Green looked nice on Suga though and he looked good in general, a concentrated pout on his face and hair a mess. Still, it felt weird to see Suga in a green uniform after almost three years of seeing him in black and orange.   
Someone called Suga’s name and he hopped up, joining his teammates.

While Suga talked to his team members Daichi eyed the booklet the woman had given him. It included a small information sheet of both teams and the names of each player. Daichi opened the page with the names of Torono Town’s team. The starting players were the top six and Daichi was so proud to see Sugawara Koushi on the list. His position was in brackets behind his name followed by his jersey number. Karasuno 2 had become Torono Town 4.

Nishinoya would be excited to hear Suga now shared his jersey number.

On the court the two teams lined up. Daichi smiled. It had been a long time since he had gone to see a volleyball game like this and he decided he would do this more from now on. He missed the atmosphere and it was nice to see a game just for fun.

The referee blew into his whistle and the game begun.

Daichi leaned his arms against the railing, his position so unsportsmanlike that he was almost   
embarrassed. But only almost because he didn’t have time to worry about that. He was staring at Suga who was moving so smoothly on the court. His tosses were beautiful and spot-on, the team quickly making a nice lead against the home team. Suga’s receives were still a little clumsy but Daichi could see Suga had improved them too. Daichi knew it was because Suga was happy and relaxed and it made learning easier. Daichi felt a little sad Karasuno hadn’t been able to make Suga feel like this.

The referee blew into his whistle to indicate the technical time-out and Daichi leaned back in his seat. Suga’s team had 8 points while Ishinomaki had 5. It wasn’t a huge lead but it was a good   
one.

Daichi looked at Suga again. He was laughing with a blonde tall guy from his team and for a moment Daichi felt insanely jealous. That’s what he used to do with Suga during the time-outs when Suga had still been at Karasuno. Then Suga turned to talk to their left wing-spiker who had messed up his serve in the beginning and patted his back. Suga had done that at Karasuno too. Before, Daichi had thought this was a new insecure Suga who wasn’t sure what he wanted but now he started to understand that this was exactly the same Suga who knew exactly what he wanted. He wanted to play volleyball and he wanted to be treated like an equal. After Kageyama had come to Karasuno, Suga had changed from being a player into being a vice-captain and mental support. Now with his new team, Suga seemed to be both and it made Suga look so happy that Daichi started to wonder if he was really being selfish that he still wanted Suga to return to Karasuno.

The referee blew into his whistle again so the game could continue. Suga walked back onto the court but while he walked his eyes met Daichi’s. Suga’s eyes widened when he noticed Daichi amongst the crowd and his walking got slower. Then Suga seemed to get over his surprise and he smiled, giving Daichi a small wave. Daichi smiled and waved back, hoping seeing him there so suddenly didn’t mess with Suga’s concentration.

It didn’t. Suga played as beautifully as he had before the technical time-out. He was a little clumsier and weaker than the other players who were older than him but it didn’t seem to slow Suga down at all. The first set ended 19-25 with the home team losing and Daichi already felt like Suga’s team was going to win this match. As soon as the set ended Suga said something to his team mates and started to jog towards the side of the court where Daichi was sitting.

“Daichi!” he called out and waved.

Daichi waved back and smiled, “Hey!”

“What are you doing here?” Suga asked but there was a stunning smile on his face.

“Well I had to see your first game, didn’t I?” Daichi said, “You guys are really good and your last receive was really good! Try to widen your footing, though!”

Suga blushed at the compliment but didn’t let that distract him as they only had a few minutes.

“Aye aye, captain,” he said and then lightly scolded, “you shouldn’t have skipped school because of this though!”

“Nothing is more important than this, Koushi,” Daichi said and enjoyed the amazed look Suga had on his face.

Suga’s teammates called out to him and Daichi told him to go. Suga looked at Daichi again before nodding and mumbling a flustered thank you. Daichi wasn’t sure if it was for compliments or coming but then he decided it was probably for both. Daichi winced when Suga’s toss was a bit too low and Ishinomaki easily blocked the spike. While the first set had been almost flawless this one was filled with small mistakes that allowed Ishinomaki to win the set 25-21. Daichi bit his lip and looked at the clock on the big score board. If Suga’s team lost the next set Daichi would have to leave before the game was over, otherwise he would be late for Karasuno’s own practice. 

The game continued and Daichi leaned back, deciding to worry about the time later.

Seeing Suga play like this was wonderful but also terrifying. When Daichi was on the court himself he couldn’t concentrate on anything but the game itself. Now that he had to sit on the stands he understood why the spectators often looked so terrified. Daichi let out a yelp when Suga’s dive turned into a tumble and he had to lay down for few seconds to catch his breath. Daichi slumped in relief when Suga got up but narrowed his eyes when Suga dared to smile after the scare he had given Daichi. He felt a little better when coach Yamamoto scolded Suga for the reckless dive. Suga looked sheepish and Daichi felt his heart melt. He could understand why Suga was feeling so excited, plus what other than recklessness would anyone expect from a boy who had been playing with Nishinoya, Hinata and Tanaka for the past months. 

Despite the good effort, Torono Town lost the third set 29-27. Daichi bit his lip and checked out the time. There was going to be a technical break of fifteen minutes now so he would have to leave after the fourth set, maybe even before that. Frustratedly he threw his phone back into his pocket. Then he took a deep breath and let it out slowly, there was nothing he could do to the situation so he shouldn’t be upset. Daichi ran his hand through his hair, deciding to stretch his legs and get something to eat. He remembered seeing vending machines near the entrance and made his way there. 

While waiting for the food Daichi observed the passersby. While most of the people were strangers, he recognized some of the faces.Their town was small and it was easy to remember faces he had seen at the library, hospital, grocery store and other places in town. 

“Sawamura-kun!” called a voice from behind Daichi.

Daichi picked up his food and turned around. He saw an old lady walking towards him with her husband. Daichi recognized the old woman immediately. Her name was Ubeno Kaori. She had always brought drinks for the children of Daichi’s street when they stayed out playing volleyball. She was a frequent spectator and sometimes she even joined them in their games. Everyone had been devastated when she moved closer to the town centre but she still seemed to be enthusiastic about volleyball because she had a scarf with Torono Town’s colours around her neck.

“It is you. You have gotten so big and handsome that I almost didn’t recognize you,” the woman said, “You look exactly like your father.”

“Obāsan,” Daichi said and bowed, “It’s good to see you.”

“You too, Sawamura-kun,” the old lady said, “I always support following sports but shouldn’t you be at school?”

Daichi smiled, “My friend plays for Torono Town and this is his first game.”

“Silver haired number 4? His playing looks good,” Kaori said before smiling knowingly, “And he is a treat for theeye too.”

Daichi blushed and Kaori’s husband gently scolded her. The old woman laughed and apologized for making Daichi uncomfortable. 

“Do you still play?” she asked.

“Yes, I’m the captain of Karasuno volleyball team,” Daichi said and couldn’t help but sound proud of himself.

“Captain, you say? I always thought you were suited for that title; hard working, calm and responsible,” Kaori said and Daichi felt the blush on his cheeks darkening. Daichi muttered a thank you but the old couple didn’t pay any attention to his awkwardness.

“The game starts soon, we should go back to our seats,” Mr. Ubeno said and his wife seemed to notice the time as well. She said warm goodbyes to Daichi and wished luck for Karasuno’s future games. Daichi smiled and gave his well-wishes to the pair. He watched as they walked towards the bathrooms before making his way back to the gym. 

When he reached the gym doors, he spotted Suga who was kneeling by the gym door, talking to a small girl. The girl was babbling to Suga but he didn’t seem to mind. Daichi smiled; Suga had always been good with kids. Suga said something to the girl, making her blush but she recovered quickly and gave Suga something she had pulled out from her bag. Suga hugged the girl and then she ran towards the woman who was standing nearby.

“What was that about?” Daichi asked.

Suga jumped up; he hadn’t noticed Daichi’s arrival at all. He straightened up and turned to look at Daichi. In this position, Daichi could see what Suga was holding in his hands. It was a small, glittery star that looked like a christmas ornament. It was grey like Suga’s hair and very pretty. 

Oddly, it looked just like Suga even though it was only a plastic star.

“She asked me to find her parents,” Suga said and smiled, “She wanted to give me this as a thank you because she said I’m her star.”

Daichi’s heart swelled when he saw the smile but he couldn’t help but tease, “Should I be jealous?”

“Very, she was quite adorable,” Suga teased back and held the star carefully as if he was scared of breaking it.

They talked for a little while and Suga complained how he had lost concentration after the first technical time-out and his teammates had done stupid mistakes as well. Daichi thought Suga was too critical since the team had fought very well, it just hadn’t been enough, but he didn’t say anything, knowing Suga felt better when he had a chance to let it out. He touched Suga’s arm comfortingly and Suga seemed to relax. He wished they were somewhere more private so he could give Suga a good luck kiss but he hoped Suga would receive his telepathic one. 

When the people started to move back towards the gym Daichi knew their quick chat time was about to end.

“Aren’t you going to be late for practice if you stay here?” Suga asked after taking a step away from Daichi.

Suga’s voice was questioning but he seemed delighted that Daichi was still there. Daichi’s mood darkened a little because he would have to ruin that by telling Suga he would have to leave before the last set. Daichi scratched his head and said, “It’s alright, I’m going to…”

“Sugawara!” came a call from the locker room hallway.

Suga looked at the clock and his eyes comically widened when he noticed the time. Hastily he excused himself and rushed to the hallway. Daichi called out after him but Suga didn’t hear it. He clenched his fists in frustration - now he would have to leave without telling Suga. There was nothing he could do about it though, so he walked back into the gym. Someone had stolen his seat but Daichi found an empty one near the left exit stairway. He slumped into the seat but the beginning of the fourth set washed out most of his bad mood.

It seemed like Suga’s team had found their spirit during the break because they were playing like they had been in the beginning of the game. Suga was smiling despite the clear signs of fatigue. Daichi guessed playing full sets so soon after playing only a few minutes here and there were really taking a toll on Suga. The setter didn’t seem to mind though, he was practically sparkling and Daichi found it difficult to breathe. 

And just when Daichi thought Suga couldn’t impress him any more he proved him wrong. Suga had to dive to receive the ball and Daichi bit his lip, thinking the point was lost, when the team’s libero jumped to set the ball. Suga spiked but the libero of Ishinomaki easily caught it. Suga landed on his feet and clenched his teeth in annoyance. Daichi didn’t pay attention to that though. His mouth was still open because… how? Since when had Suga been able to spike? Sure the spike had been a little powerless and easy to predict but still, Daichi was impressed. The movement had been smooth and there had been amazing determination on Suga’s face. The surprised stare on Daichi’s face turned into a grin.

Daichi wondered if it was inappropriate to think Suga was so hot like this.

In the end, Suga’s team won the set clearly, 18-25. 

After the third point of the fifth set, Daichi had to admit the truth. He would have to leave now if he wanted to be on time for Karasuno’s practice. He slipped out of his seat and walked in the stairway, shoulders slumped and feeling bad for having to leave Suga’s game like this. He wasn’t sure if Suga could see him leaving but he felt like someone was staring after him with a burning gaze. 

After the game ended, Suga’s team members wanted to go out and have dinner in Ishinomaki but Suga excused himself, wanting to visit Karasuno’s practice like he promised. The team walked him to the train station before leaving to find a good restaurant. Suga purchased a ticket and absent mindedly walked to the benches near the platform. His body ached and he felt exhausted but playing again had been amazing. He sighed and rubbed his eyes. He knew Karasuno needed him but right now he would have preferred to go to bed. 

The train arrived at the platform and Suga walked into his car and sat down on the seat assigned to his ticket. He slumped down and hugged his leather bag to his chest. He had left the rest of his gear on the team's bus. He trusted his teammates would take care of it and make sure it got home. The train slowly filled and Suga was happy to see his car didn’t have too many passengers. A few rows behind his seat, two girls were excitedly talking about a new anime episode but Suga did his best to ignore it. Technically he could have joined the talk but right now he wanted to be left alone. 

Daichi had left before his game had been over. 

Of course, he shouldn’t feel so betrayed because Daichi had his own practice to get to, but he couldn’t help it. Seeing Daichi there to support him had been so important to him. While it was his nature to scold Dachi for doing something like that for him, he had been so glad Daichi had been there. Suga had felt reassured that Daichi accepted Suga didn’t play for Karasuno anymore and he hoped it had also reassured Daichi that Suga was going to be alright but seeing Daichi leave before the game was over made him sad and it highlighted the fact that this was what they were now. Even though they had talked about it, it still felt unfair every now and then.

Suga sighed and decided not to let himself fall into despair. 

He had played a great game and Daichi had stayed for most of it. That’s what was important, a few minutes of the end didn’t matter.

Eventually the train stopped and Suga rushed for the bus that would take him back home. He would quickly say hi to his mom before running to the practice. Or maybe his mom could give him a lift. That dream was crushed though, because as Suga reached his house the only thing he found was a piece of paper on the kitchen table. _Gone to my ikebana course, see you later Koushi-dear. Remember to eat! I’m so proud of you! Love, mom._ Suga sighed, picked up an apple from the bowl and rushed out of the house again. He would eat properly after meeting up with Daichi and the others.

Suga started running down the street, not wanting to waste any more time. He checked his watch and realised he will have missed half of Karasuno's practice by the time he gets there. 

Suddenly he was happy Daichi had left his game early.

When Suga reached the school, his sprint faded into light jog before turning into a walk again. Suddenly he felt nervous about joining the practice. What if the others thought he wasn’t welcome after his sudden departure? And he was really late too. Then he shook his head to banish the thoughts.

He had promised Daichi to show up, so he would. He took a deep breath and walked to the gym door.

Suga slid it open and everything stopped. Everyone except for Daichi turned to look at him in surprise, the silence only broken by Tanaka’s yelp of pain when the ball served by Tsukishima hit his head. Nishinoya was the first one to recover from the surprise and he sprinted towards Suga. Noya was practically weightless but the force behind his jump knocked them both to the ground. Suga let out a loud shriek and Noya too complained, “Ow ow ow ow.” 

In the background Tanaka was loudly yelling at Tsukishima - who didn’t seem to care - while Yamaguchi and terrified Yachi were trying to calm him down.

Suga smiled under Noya’s weight. It was almost like he had come home. 

One thing was amiss though. Every other time Suga had arrived to the gym there had been a wrestling match or at least an argument between two certain first years. This time, Hinata was standing on the A court and Kageyama on the B court and while they looked happy to see Suga, it was easy to see something was off. Suga wanted to do his best to mend their friendship. 

Noya crawled to sit on Suga’s legs before bouncing up. Asahi, who had been standing nearby, pulled Suga up from the floor.

“Welcome, Sugawara-kun. Thank you for joining us,” Takeda sensei said with a wide smile, “how did your match end?”

Suga’s gaze briefly met Daichi’s and there was a guilty shadow on his face. Suga would need to talk about it to Daichi later, but now it was time to concentrate on this moment. 

“Thank you, sensei,” Suga said and bowed slightly, “we won 3-2.”

Noya jumped up and down, congratulating Suga. Narita, Kinoshita and Ennoshita congratulated him as well while Hinata’s eye widened and he hopped to stand next to Noya, asking Suga to tell everything about the match and if he had been all “tshhhh” and “gwaaahhh” and “uwaahh”. Suga shook his head. He was happy that Hinata hadn’t lost his spirit completely. Seeing the look on Ukai’s face, Suga told Hinata they should concentrate on the practice now. Hinata’s face fell but Suga promised to tell him everything later. Noya and Hinata brightened back up and they practically ran back to their spots. 

“Sugawara, warm up and join the A-team!” Ukai said.

A-team cheered loudly - well Noya and Hinata cheered loudly - as Suga joined them on the court. Kinoshita, Asahi and Yamaguchi were on the A-team with Noya and Hinata and they all greeted Suga happily when he walked to the court. On the other side of the net Daichi stood with Kageyama, Tanaka, Ennoshita, Tsukishima and Narita. Suga locked his eyes with Daichi’s and grinned. This was going to be fun.

It was and it wasn’t. Playing with Karasuno again was fun and it was clear the team had found its spirit again after the loss against Aobajousai.

But, there was a crack in that spirit that couldn’t be fixed with normal training. 

Suga could only guess Ukai had insisted team against team practice after he had heard Suga was coming to practice with them, but it was clear Kageyama and Hinata needed to solve things before the team could go back training properly. 

In the end, B-team won but A-team wasn’t far behind. 

When Ukai told everyone the practice was over, Suga slumped on the floor, completely exhausted. Suga was thankful Ukai had decided on this kind of practice because now he had an overview on how things were in Karasuno after Kageyama and Hinata’s fight. Noya laid down next to him and excitedly explained how he had started to practice libero toss. Daichi walked past and heard this, smiling down at Noya, “After you master that you can set for him. Sugawara here can spike nowadays.”

Everyone turned to look at Suga again and Suga blushed under their stares. Noya’s shot up and Hinata dropped on his knees next to Suga. Both of them were staring at Suga with wide eyes and ordered Suga to tell them about it. Noya and Hinata listened excitedly as Suga talked about the game and how they had beat Ishinomaki by winning the fifth set. Both Hinata and Noya pouted when Suga was interrupted by the coach who sounded stern.

“Alright you three, enough chatting! Do your stretches and tidy up,” Ukai called to them, “We’ll continue tomorrow!”

Suga pushed himself up and helped the others tidy up. With one ear he heard Nishinoya vow he would master the libero toss super quickly and Hinata cheered him on. Suga smiled at the two small crows and then concentrated on tidying up. Asahi had finished with his task and walked to Suga, telling the setter he would love to see his spike in a game.

“I could use some advice though, I don’t have enough strength behind it,” Suga said.

“I’ll help you if I can,” Asahi promised.

“Watch out, he might replace you as the ace!” Daichi teased and smacked Asahi’s shoulder, making the ace groan in pain. 

Asahi winced and rubbed his arm while Suga laughed at the two. He had really missed this insanity between his former team mates. His current team was more mature and Suga often missed the free wildness of the Karasuno crows. Suga finished his tidying and picked up his bag. He made a move to join Daichi and Asahi, but he was approached by a serious-looking coach Ukai.

“Sugawara,” coach Ukai said as he stopped Suga, “I’ll drive you home, there is something I need to talk to you about.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun duuuuun!
> 
> I hope you liked this chapter! Please leave me comments! I love you all! Kisses and hugs! Come to say hi on tumblr: lovelydaisuga.tumblr.com! :) ♥


End file.
